Protecting You
by dragon of winter nights
Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. mainly Clemi. Also contains FF, HLE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: (Feel free to skip) This is the first chapter of a long piece of fiction I started writing for Nanowrimo (national novel writing month) this November… and it isn't finished yet, even in the first draft. I'm editing these chapters as much as I can, but if I missed something that doesn't make sense, or is just plain _bad_, please tell me! Same with grammar and spelling. Reviews are appreciated, good or bad. I hope you enjoy this!

**Chapter One: assassins and temper tantrums.**

"_Clef!_"

Umi's hair was streaming behind her in the cold wind as she ran through the garden, breath steaming in erratic gasps as she sprinted alongside the high wall of the castle perimeter. Ahead, metal rang on metal as a fierce battle played out, the mage defending himself against the enormous, winged monster which had dropped from the sky in front of him.

The beast bore weapons, in the form of serrated metal plates along its forearms that curved out into a wicked blade from each elbow. It swiped at Clef's neck again and he leapt back, deflecting it with the shaft of the long staff he carried. Sparks flew, and the clang was rattling in Umi's ears as she tried desperately to reach them, wishing the Palace gardens were smaller. Her sword was in her hand as she ran, but... could she get there in time? The thing stood twice as tall as either her or Clef, and had entered this battle with surprise on its side.

But Clef had the desire to survive.

By the time Umi reached the spot, it was over - but not the way she feared. After blocking again and getting a hand free, a single thunderbolt was all Clef needed to turn the beast to a pile of smoking dust at his feet.

He bent over, coughing violently as the last dust settled, and by the time Umi skidded to a halt next to him he was straightening up again, brushing off his robes. Umi walked around him, warily prodding the ashes with the tip of her sword until she was convinced it posed no more threat.

The blade flowed back into the gem on her gauntlet style glove as she turned to face Clef, who was still trying to get his breath back.

Looking up, Clef had time to note how pale her face was before she began bombarding him with questions, barely pausing to breathe between them. "Clef, are you alright? What was that?" She glanced at the pile again, looking more shaken then the mage himself.

"I-" he began, and was cut off.

"Is it… are you sure it's really dead? Some of them do reform, you know. Of course you know. You _live_ here. Are you sure you're okay? Why did it attack you? And what the heck was it?"

Clef gave up trying to get a word in edgeways and took Umi's elbow to steer her along the path to the castle. The doors weren't that far away, but he couldn't help a nervous glance at the sky. Attacking in the open, in broad daylight… Umi was still babbling, looking around and then up at him every so often, her eyes wide and shocked. Inwardly he sighed, fighting the urge to just stop and hug her, reassure her.

They still hadn't quite reached the doors, but Umi was still speaking quietly next to him, in a slightly calmer fashion than before. Feeling her arm shaking slightly, Clef twinged with guilt.

_This is all my fault. I wanted to shield her… all of them, from this side of Cephiro._

_Would that shielding include Lantis and LaFargo, by any chance? _the thought skittered across his mind, and Clef hissed in frustration, not noticing that Umi had stopped talking and was giving him an odd look now.

_ I know I should report this to them, but they'll make such a FUSS about it. Again. It's not as if they can do any more to protect the castle, not without looking like cowards, or preparing for war… neither of which would help our relations with other countries. I can look after myself; I'd been doing so for long before they decided to take over my safety. I think they just like fussing; they can't have enough to do. Besides… all that fuss… _ "I just don't want to."

"Don't want to what, Clef?"

The mage flinched, hand tightening on her elbow. "What?"

"You said, "I just don't want to." Don't want to what? Answer my questions?"

"No! I mean, yes, but no- uh…" He stopped walking as they entered the hall, turning to face her. He was half pleased to see she looked more amused than shocked now, and half just flustered. He _really_ hadn't meant to speak his thoughts, and didn't know quite what to tell Umi.

_Well, I'd have had to find some explanation, anyway. Otherwise she would definitely report this._

"I do want to answer your questions, that wasn't what I was thinking about. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention…"

"Well, one of my questions is what don't you want to do. Why don't you start by answering that one?" A slight hint of a smile curved her lips. He ran one hand through his hair absently, searching for an answer.

"I… well; I don't want to report this attack to Lantis and LaFargo."

"If you don't want to do it, I'll…" Umi began to offer, then drew in a sharp breath as his words sank in properly. "_This_ attack? There've been others?" Clef drew back, hand falling from her arm, and tried to walk on, but she caught his arms before he could get far, completely serious now. "Clef, who's attacking you? _Why're_ they attacking you?"

He wouldn't look at her, gazing blankly at the wall over her head. "It doesn't happen that often, but because I have a role in governing the country the occasional idiot tries an assassination attempt. It's really nothing to be worried about…"

"Someone tries to kill you, and it's no big deal?" Umi was staring at him, incredulous. He felt the heat of it burning into his face, making him flush. "Clef… What about Ferio? Do they attack him? Any of the others here?"

"…Occasionally, yes. I mean, not as often, but then, because I do all these talks, I'm a more… accessible target." Her hands clenched on his arms almost painfully, and he hurried on. "Actually, that's a good thing, because I can defend myself easily against them, and the others don't have to try."

He concentrated hard on staring at the wall, realising, ruefully, he was going to have bruises on his wrists tomorrow.

Umi's voice was lower now than normal "Clef, how frequent _are _these attacks? Why on Earth don't you want to report them?"

Shaking his head, Clef looked at her finally, eyes narrowing. "They make such a fuss! I'm fine; I really _am_ capable of defending myself, you know. LaFargo and Lantis can't do any more, they shouldn't _­have_ to do any more, and I'm perfectly okay!"

For a few stretched moments, you could have heard a pin drop in the corridor.

"You don't want to tell them because they _fuss_?" Umi's eyes were pools of disbelief, gone wide and incredulous; almost painful to look into.

"Well, they do!" Clef fought off a blush. It sounded fairly stupid when she put it like that, but, still…

"I'm going to tell them, Clef. Safety in the Castle grounds is their responsibility!"

Stepping forwards, he called "Umi, please…" and stopped, ashamed of the break in his voice as he pleaded – _pleaded!_ – with her.

"No!" She snapped, casting aside his arms, twisting away and stalking deeper into the Castle, determined to find either of the Swordsmen immediately. Clef trailed a few steps behind her.

"I really am fine! Umi, They _can't_ do anything!"

"They should know!" she snapped back, speeding up. Growling low in his throat, Clef jogged a few paces to draw even with her.

"It's _my_ life, surely _I_ should be allowed responsibility for protecting it!"

"You should accept help from people who want to help protect you – because, believe it or not, we care about you!"

"I… it's…" Clef stuttered at her, unable to find a reply. He slowed, thinking hard, and Umi stopped walking.

She turned to face him, her anger fading away as quickly as it had risen, worried lines deepening on her face. "Clef, how often does this kind of thing happen? You said the attacks don't happen often, but you're talking as if they're… frequent. Please…" she stepped forwards, looking up into his eyes, less than a meter from her own, fists clenched at her sides and trembling a little. Her eyes were pleading with him, and he couldn't turn away.

"Please, tell me?"

Faced with those eyes, Clef slumped as a sense of defeat washed through him. He didn't want to lie, he _really_ didn't want to lie to her – but how could he tell her the truth?

Her blue eyes were waiting, watching the guilt twist his face away from her, glance downwards at the stone floor. Her eyes bore into him and suddenly the question became how could he _not_ tell her the truth, when she asked so plaintively. He crumbled before her.

"Well.. normally…" he began stumbling through it without any idea what he was telling her, how much he should resolve to not tell her. "Before… before, the attacks, they really were infrequent. It could go months, even years, without a hint of one."

"But it's changed?" Her eyes were still searching his, and he sighed briefly, closing them for a moment.

"Yes. Recently, they've been happening far more often."

"And just how often is that?" Umi pushed, determined to get some more definite information from him, and he hesitated. The pause was filled by a deep voice from behind them, and they both flinched violently away from it.

"Almost weekly in the last month." Umi and Clef had both spun to meet the intruder, her hand suddenly clutching her sword again, him halfway to summoning his staff back to his grip, a shield-spell forming on his other palm - then they recognised the figure blocking a side passageway.

"LaFargo." Clef nodded, suppressing yet another frustrated sigh. The glare on LaFargo's face was more then enough to tell him LaFargo knew.

_Well, I probably wasn't going to convince Umi anyway. No matter how long I tried._

"Master Mage, Magic Knight." LaFargo bowed slightly to each of them in greeting, then straightened to pin Clef with his stare. "There has been another assassination attempt against you." It wasn't a question, and Clef had to fight hard against the impulse to dart away from that look. "You did not intend to report it."

"How…?" He asked, as LaFargo stepped through into the main hallway.

"A bolt of lightning was observed, and a heap of dust found in the middle of one of the garden paths, as well as damage done to the wall by a blade striking it."

"Ah."

LaFargo sighed, looking down at the top of the Mage's head, said something like "excuse me, Umi" only buried under the sigh, then took Clef's elbow firmly and began leading him through the Castle. Umi, amused by the sight, followed them. She wanted answers, and if Clef wasn't going to tell her anything without a fight, maybe she could just ask LaFargo instead.

LaFargo was walking briskly, striding out so much that Clef, whose legs were still much shorter than his, had to jog to keep up. Clef stumbled every so often as he was dragged along, but didn't dare fall - the mood LaFargo was in he'd just carry on dragging him across the floor regardless, possibly even when they hit the stairs. They were going too fast to waste breath talking, and so the sounds filling the corridor were that of boot heels clacking on the paving stones.

Umi shadowed them, and they travelled down corridors and up stairs into the very heart of the Castle. For the first time, Umi really saw the occasional uniformed guards patrolling, or sat in curtained niches off the hallways: they all bowed to LaFargo and Clef. Walking behind them, Umi saw quite a few of the grins they wore as they straightened up, safely after the two men had gone beyond them, and shared in them herself. In fact, her laughter was threatening to erupt into a fit of giggling at the sight of Clef being unceremoniously pulled along.

Normally, everyone just gave way to the Mage. In fact, Clef regularly ordered most of the people he knew to do things, expecting to be obeyed instantly - and was. His rank gave him authority over most of the citizens of Cephiro, sure - authority he did not hesitate to use, something the others seemed to almost expect from him, but even where he didn't technically have authority, he was obeyed. Even Ferio, the _Prince,_ almost never seemed to go against Clef's wishes.

As for the ordinary citizens of Cephiro, when they came to the Castle: well, Umi got the impression that they were completely in awe of him, to the point of being terrified. They bowed and backed away from him, lowering their eyes… It was something she'd never really understood, not until she'd seen Clef in a 'formal' situation and realised how serious and… imposing he could appear. If that was the only side of Clef they ever saw, the 'official' facade he had to use… it made a bit more sense. When _she'd_ first met the Mage, there hadn't been time for him to be anyone but himself.

_Thinking about it, I'm the only person I've ever seen stand up to Clef. _She mused, following them up several sets of wide stairs. _Well, argue with him, anyway. I guess Ferio does change Clef's mind on an issue, occasionally, but no one ever goes against him._

_Except Lantis and LaFargo, apparently!_

Umi shook the thoughts from her head, realising she'd lost track of the turnings they'd taken, and was now effectively lost. She had to keep her attention on the figures in front, before she lost them as well as herself, and was stuck here alone. Focusing again, she couldn't stop the laugh that welled up inside her. Clef glared half-heartedly over his shoulder, but she just _couldn't_ check the hysterical giggling. It was the sudden image… not only had Clef been being pulled about like a… a naughty five year old, but he'd had the look of one as well! Resigned, guilty, and utterly unrepentant at the same time. Just right for the stubborn child who'd been caught doing something he'd _known _he shouldn't be.

She just about quelled the laughing as they passed through a door with a nameplate she couldn't read; into a room she instantly realised must be the main headquarters for the Castle Guard. Lantis and LaFargo's domain. She stopped just through the door, to stare around.

She'd never been here before, in all the time she'd been in Cephiro. Umi had never really thought about what the two swordsmen actually did as a job, and had never had a reason to visit them at work, so this… this came as quite the shock.

The room was large, probably twice the size of the bedroom she and the other two knights shared in the castle, at least, though she knew only the two swordsmen worked in here. A round, central station had numerous flat screens of something like crystal, or maybe glass, and weird rows of buttons set into it. Some of the screens were showing information and diagrams - a line of them showed images of significant rooms in the castle, and the people moving in them. All the writing was in a script she couldn't read yet, though she kept meaning to ask about it... There were high stools set round this, for working at - decorated in the typically ornate Cephiran style they seemed out of place against the plain units. The wall to the right had pin boards and desks set along its entire length, scattered with books and papers. The wall to the left was filled with mismatched cupboards and filing cabinets, piled high on each other. The final wall, facing Umi, was composed of a single large screen, currently blank.

She'd seen nothing like this in the rest of the castle, let alone the whole of Cephiro! Sure, there'd been the occasional screen set into a wall or a table, though she'd never known what they were for. But this…

Looking around with amazement, Umi suddenly felt very much like a stranger in this land again.

Lantis was sat at one of the desks, on a stool slightly shorter than those at the central unit. As they came in, he looked up, but his face betrayed no hint of emotion - as normal. Seeing this, Umi felt a stir of annoyance fanning her anger into being again. Why did no one else appear remotely worried? Did no one else care that Clef had almost died?

_He… man, he really did almost die, didn't he… _ The image of that blade flashing so close to Clef's throat pulsed through Umi again, and her breath caught.

Lantis had greeted her, and the others, by this point but she hadn't heard. It hit her, again, what she had seen. More, her imagination kept displaying what might have happened, and she began trembling slightly.

Rubbing at her eyes, she tried to focus on what was being said, instead of the growing buzzing in her ears.

"Another assassin?" Lantis asked, his low voice betraying the slightest hint of exasperation. The question was aimed at Clef, but it was LaFargo who answered, forcing Clef onto a stool between them with a heavy hand on his shoulder - effectively blocking him in.

"Yes. A flying monster of some kind, from the accounts I've received. It attacked within the castle perimeter, in the southern garden."

"I see." Lantis' voice was definitely tighter than normal now, but Umi barely registered it. Her vision was beginning to fizzle away at the edges, in grey sparks, and there was the feeling of something tightening around her head. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate harder, to push it away. Though she didn't know it, she began to sway on her feet, like a fragile blade of grass in the wind.

"But you, Clef, were not going to report it? Again?" Lantis snapped, but Umi didn't hear him, and couldn't see Clef flinch with her eyes closed tight.

"It's not as if you could do..." Clef began protesting weakly, when something warned him to look around. He was in time to see Umi bleach sheet white. "Umi!"

He was at her side in before he knew he was moving, reacting on instinct, cradling her gently against himself with an arm around her back. LaFargo turned, confused, and watched with Lantis as he gently checked her temperature, laying his palm against her forehead then her cheek. His face was creased with worry, almost as white as Umi's.

Umi blearily opened her eyes, leaning completely against him, to find Clef's face not inches from her own. His eyes were wider than normal, and she stared blankly into them, not really seeing anything but the colour.

"This is shock. Umi, Umi? Do you feel sick at all?" His voice, so close to her ear, made it through the buzzing and as soon as she understood what he meant she realised that, yes, she felt nauseous. She nodded her head slightly, not trusting herself to speak, then had to close her eyes as the world span. "Here, you should sit down…" Clef glanced round the room, instantly dismissing all the stools the room contained - and realising that, in fact, all the room contained was stools.

Holding his free hand out, he concentrated briefly and summoned a low chair in a burst of light, helping Umi into it gently. He perched on the edge of it, encouraging her to lean forwards with his hand still on her back, rubbing it in small circles. She kept her eyes closed; still leaning partly into his side, and felt the spinning and buzzing begin to fade away.

Clef looked up at the others. "Do you have anything to drink in here?" He asked, keeping his voice low and soothing for Umi's benefit. They both shook their heads, and watched, bemused, as he turned back to Umi. As he turned away, Clef missed the speculative look that passed between the other two.

Raising his free hand yet again, Clef summoned one of the glasses from the kitchen, filling it with cold water from the tap as he did so. "Umi, can you sit up for a moment?" She straightened warily, and his arm slipped from her back to round her shoulder again, supporting her against himself as he offered her the glass. Umi had to hold it with both hands, but managed to sip the drink slowly, gasping aloud as the pressure around her head eased.

She handed the glass back to Clef, half empty, and he set it down on the floor. Other than that, he didn't move, and Umi rested her head back against his shoulder rather than sitting back in the chair, absently enjoying the closeness and the warmth. She could feel Clef's fingers running through her hair as he held her. He didn't realise he was doing it, too concerned about Umi's condition. He was whispering something: she couldn't hear what it was at first, then realised with surprise that it was an apology.

"Clef…" She sat upright, bracing for a wave of dizziness that never came.

"Are you feeling better, Umi?"

"Yes, thank you. Clef, you know, it wasn't…" but Clef got up, and was facing Lantis and LaFargo again, unable to meet her eyes. He wasn't listening to what Umi was saying, at least, not to the words she said. "…It wasn't your fault I felt ill." She finished in a whisper.

Both the Swordsmen heard Umi, but ignored it in the face of Clef's glare. The mage stood, facing them, arms crossed tightly across his chest, and LaFargo sighed slightly. Clef still wasn't going to cooperate with them, even now...

"Clef," he began, voice quieter than before. "I know how you feel about any more security measures, but surely you can see we have to do _some_thing?" Clef remained silent, if anything his glare intensified instead of fading, and LaFargo barely stopped from rolling his eyes at the stubbornness.

"This is getting utterly ridiculous." Lantis cut in. "How many attempts have been made on your life in the last month?"

Clef mumbled something, not quite meeting their eyes anymore, still glaring but now at the wall behind them.

"If nothing else, there has been a lot of damage to castle property." Lantis went on. "Who's to say when that will become damage to Castle inhabitants, as well? You _have_ to see the danger to innocents caught in the wrong place."

"And the danger to a few not so innocents," said LaFargo, glancing pointedly at Umi. "There as more than a few people in this Castle who would leap into anything to help you, without looking. Most of them cannot defend themselves as readily as the Water Knight. Are you willing to risk them as well as yourself?" This had been going on long enough that neither Swordsman felt any reluctance to guilt-trip Clef into accepting protection. Unfortunately, if the look on his face was any gauge, they were making him angry at the same time – probably more at himself than at them, but at them for being right and making him feel guilty… and mad. "With a few extra measures in place we can stop the majority of the attempts" _hopefully_ "and maybe _catch_ a few of the assailants, try to find out who's behind this."

"...Measures such as...?" Clef muttered, slumping down to the corner of Umi's chair again, hands in fists on his lap. Lantis and LaFargo exchanged a brief, almost-startled glance – that was probably as close as Clef ever came to giving way. They'd worn him down? Finally?

Umi looked on as Clef watched the floor intently, his body so tense it was almost painful to look at. The two swordsmen took advantage of the opportunity, and began describing a complex system of shielding they wanted to implement. Most of it went straight over Umi's head, as they discussed the 'technical junk', to quote Hikaru, the side to Cephiran magic none of them had ever quite bothered with. She raised her hand a little, once, to reach out and lay it on Clef's shoulder – then realised what she was doing and drew it back, just watching him.

Lantis was speaking about things like corner stones to hold the magic, and the different variants of spells that would have to be cast, and recast every so often, to 'recharge' a huge series of interlocking shields. It was probably the closest Umi had ever heard Lantis get to rambling – he was talking like Ferio, or Ascot, for once. Eventually, however, Clef looked up and he paused.

"And just who do you expect is going to put these shields up and maintain them?"

"The Guards" said LaFargo. Clef blinked, and he hurried on. "With a group of them, the spells can be weaker individually, so their inexperience with shields won't be a problem – even those who know some defensive magic won't know about this kind of shielding, yet, but that's okay – Lantis and Ascot would be able to teach them to use it. Lantis taught me, it's simple enough. So you wouldn't have to do anything more than you already have to. Unless you wanted to, of course..." LaFargo trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable with babbling like that, but every one was overtired at the moment.

"Let me see the plans." Clef pushed himself onto his feet. Lantis handed him a huge scroll of paper, a huge blueprint of the castle with lines all over it in pencil, with odd symbols and notes in the corners where they crossed, and little three-dimensional sketches dotted about. It looked like a manic spiders web to Umi, but Clef took it over to the central desk to unroll it and spread it out. It didn't want to lie flat – he found a book and a mug to weigh down two of the corners, held one, and Umi followed him across the room and held the last corner down.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Lantis and LaFargo were waiting nervously for Clef's reaction – they needed his approval for any scheme involving magic to defend the castle. Especially long term magic. Technically, he was meant to be involved in the planning stages as well – this probably counted, but only because they knew Ferio would let them get away with it. The Council of Advisors – Ferio's miniature 'House of Lords' Fuu had called them, would not be so lenient. Without Clef's signature on all the right papers, their plans would be dismissed in a heart beat.

"I have one question." Clef said, finally. "How, exactly, am I supposed to do any work?"

"Excuse me?" both swordsmen stared at Clef as he turned to face them, the hand resting on the plans now a fist.

"How am I meant to do any work? You do remember what my title is... don't you?" LaFargo flinched slightly, while Lantis just blinked at the mage. Sarcasm... not a good sign.

"I'm the _Master Mage._ That means I spend a lot of time casting _spells._ Summoning spells. Tracking spells."

The door to the room slammed open and Ascot fell through it, following a brightly glowing blue orb, which promptly vanished; both swordsmen went for their weapons, and Umi jumped in front of Clef, before they realised who it was. Clef, however, went on.

"Tracking spells such as that one, and a _wide_ and _mixed_ variety of others, none of which will be able to get through these _shields_ unless I _break _them, which makes this whole thing damn USELESS!"

No one in the room met Clef's eyes, mainly because they were busy staring at his hand: he'd flung it out angrily as his voice got louder, and stared at it for a few seconds before realising everyone else was probably worried about the small bolts of lightning flying around it. He shook the hand hard, and they flew off, making Ascot flinch badly before they fizzled out in midair.

"Clef, maybe you should calm down..." Umi said, wide eyed. She was half convinced that his eyes were glowing, and as he seemed to ignore her, she stepped away from him a little.

Clef was loosing his temper, properly, and knew it. He was fighting hard against the urge to hit someone- in his current state, he'd probably do some real damage. "I couldn't so much as form a map with _this_ in place." His tone had even more bite than his words. "You're trying to turn this building into a fortress – but as soon as you manage it you might as well blow the whole damn thing up! It'll be no use to Cephiro when it's an _inaccessible_ lump of _rock!"_

"Clef!" Umi snapped out, grabbing his arm hard, and he froze.

The room went absolutely still, all eyes on Clef, as he stared in turn at Umi, startled. Her hand was painfully tight on his wrist, but she didn't flinch from the new darts of lightning wrapping around his arm, even when they crossed her hand.

They faded away after a few long moments, and people began to breathe again. Clef seemed to shrink on himself, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lantis, LaFargo." He murmured. "You know how I feel about... all this..." Umi pulled on his wrist gently, and led him back over to the chair he'd summoned for her. One hand on his shoulder pushed him down onto it, and Umi was the one perched on the edge of the chair this time. Clef pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around them, and rested his forehead against them. Umi let go of his arm finally, but rested her hand on his shoulder instead.

"Maybe we should continue this discussion some other time." LaFargo managed, eyes still slightly wide. Lantis nodded slightly, both watching Clef as if he was a ticking bomb of some sort, and they weren't sure what would set him off.

"Yes – still," Lantis paused, meeting Umi's gaze. "We must have this talk. Soon."

"Perhaps this evening, after everyone's eaten, then." Umi suggested. Clef raised his head to look at her.

"Umi..."

I still have a lot of questions, Clef. If you won't answer them, maybe they will – and I might be able to help. Different perspective, and all that."

"Fine" Clef moaned, dropping his head back onto his knees. "We'll talk then. So can't you just all leave me alone for now?"

Lantis and LaFargo left the room quickly, muttering something about going to the kitchens for a snack. Umi watched them go, and spotted Ascot, still stood by the door.

"Would someone explain to me what's going on?" He asked, plaintively. Clef didn't move, but Umi nodded. "Sure... I'd almost forgotten you were there, Ascot." He coloured, and Umi hurried to add "with everything going on, that is... ah... well, someone's been trying to kill Clef. Repeatedly. Possibly someones."

"I know." Nodded Ascot, glancing down at the mage. Clef was busily ignoring them. "I've... found the remains of the monsters occasionally. He-" his hand was flung out in Clef's direction, and the other two both saw him flinch slightly. "kept saying it wasn't important."

Umi huffed, hand tightening on Clef's shoulder. "Well now it's happening so often that Lantis and LaFargo want to do something more to protect against the attacks, they had this idea for a system of shields for one thing, but..." she trailed off, and Ascot nodded.

"I see."

Silence filled the room again, but it was a gentler silence than last time. Ascot hovered in the door for a long moment, just watching Umi; she'd turned to Clef again, just sat there, hand on his shoulder, and it hurt slightly to watch. He still looked though, for a while, before turning to leave. At the click of the door latch Clef spoke out.

"Why did you come here, Ascot? You were following a locator spell – who for?"

"Oh, yes." Ascot paused, half out of the room. "I was looking for Umi. Hikaru and Fuu sent me – they're going to eterna, for a picnic, and sent me to invite you. Should I tell them you don't want to go today?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Thank you." Was all she said, and he closed the door quietly behind him. If anyone could help Clef settle, it was Umi.

And, oh! How he hated that.

end chapter one


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the first chapter! Here's the second – a little late, as I'm home for Christmas and had to compete with my family for internet time. This is one of those short chapters which set things up, yet aren't particularly brilliant themselves, at least in my opinion. I hope it doesn't put anyone off – this needed to be got through, for the plot to begin. (Promise!) There's more in this chapter than it looks like there is at first if you know what's going to happen later…

Chapter Two: lots of talking, and a few good ideas.

Tea was over. Long over.

Clef had dragged it out for as long as possible, eating slowly, asking for seconds when he really couldn't eat anything at all – but it was over, and all the washing up was done (he'd volunteered to help) and now Umi was gently herding him back to the dining table where Lantis was waiting. LaFargo was pacing the length of the table, and everyone else had vanished – Ferio and Ascot were still out with the other Knights, and Ascot would probably make sure they stayed out for a _long_ time, in case Clef felt the need to blow the castle up or something.

Not that he'd thought of doing such a thing, of course.

This was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because now there was only Umi to hear this – bad because now Umi _was_ there to hear this. Without the others here, there was nothing at all that would make her leave… yet if he was being honest with himself, Clef was glad of it. At least she could check his temper. Though it would be more helpful if should could get rid of his nagging headache.

"Well then," Umi said, pushing him down into a seat – one he noticed was well away from the other two – and sitting down next to him. "Shall we begin?"

Clef wasn't quite sure when Umi had become part of the 'we' instead of an observer, and from the looks on their faces, neither did the other two. But all three men nodded to her, silently handing over control of the meeting.

"Well." She repeated, not having expected control to pass to her so easily, and not quite sure what to do with it. "How about one of you" she indicated the swordsmen "explain what you want to do, _then_ any objections can be raised" Clef slid a little lower in his seat "and we can go on from there." Again, all three nodded – then Lantis realised either he or LaFargo was meant to start speaking, and turned to stare at the other guard until he got the message. Lantis was NOT going to speak first.

LaFargo finally sat down, resting his hands on the table. "Well… the new measures we took a few months ago to monitor visitors to the castle seem to have cut out the poisoning attempts, and most of the human assassins have been blocked now – so what we really need to stop these magic attacks, the monster summons, the long range spells, and the like. Firstly, we still think better shields are in order." He shot a glance at Clef, but the mage stayed silent, willing to try playing by Umi's rules. "We're still working on the 'how' aspect, but we'll find a way around it. To that end, we'd like to start training the guards within the next few days, so when we have the system sorted out it can go up straight away." He paused, then looked at Lantis, passing the explanation over.

"There is one other thing." The dark haired Cail said, glowering more than usual at LaFargo. "Shields and the rest will only work when you're here, and even then aren't foolproof. The rest of the time... you need a permanent guard, a bodyguard in fact, to watch your back."

There was silence. LaFargo shifted in his seat, not daring to look down the table. If Lantis had ever chosen a moment to start fidgeting when nervous it would have been then – as it was, he just sat normally, but he wasn't quite looking at Clef, either.

Umi was, and as the silence went on and he still didn't move she was growing steadily more anxious. He hadn't even _blinked_ yet... why wouldn't he react? His knuckles were white where he was gripping the sides of the chair.

"A… bodyguard." He said finally, his voice shaking slightly. Umi reached out and took hold of his shoulder and he turned to face her, finding it easier to keep control if he was staring at her rather than the other two.

"Yes."

"And how…" Clef bit his lip and reached out, unthinkingly, for Umi's hand; she grabbed his fingers tightly and held on as he struggled to keep his temper.

"We know it isn't a brilliant solution, Clef. Especially not with the conference coming up – but we _need_ you to be safe while you're there, more than ever." Lantis spoke quietly, almost soothingly. "Think of the repercussions if an attack succeeded there! Not only would we loose our only trained diplomat, only decent negotiator – unless you count the Knight of Wind, who isn't officially Cephiran and so couldn't do it anyway – but it would send out the message that Cephiro itself is weak and vulnerable, if our most powerful mage can be harmed or killed."

"And having a bodyguard there won't send that same message anyway?" Clef bit back sarcastically, though there wasn't as much of an edge to his voice, and his shoulders had slumped forwards.

"A bodyguard can be explained, reasoned away as a… a prop, a statement of your worth…" LaFargo reasoned, beginning to relax into his chair now.

"Still, how exactly do you think I'll get permission from the organisers to take someone with me? The conference starts in less than a week, and the reservations have been made for months. Mine's for a single room. Who d'you think you would get on such short notice, anyway? You two could hardly come along, either of you."

"You won't know until you've asked." LaFargo said, shrugging his shoulders. "As for who… out of the castle guards, I'm sure we can find someone suited to the position…"

Clef just huffed as a response, though he winced slightly at the thought. Two weeks with a perfect stranger invading his privacy and space… not the sort of thing he needed at a set of already stressful talks! His eyes drifted from the table to meet Umi's gaze as he sighed, deeply. In the end, he didn't really have much of a choice, did he? Then he noticed the light frown on Umi's face, and blinked at her.

"Umi?" he asked, quietly. "What's wrong?

"Huh?" She blinked back, focusing on his face, then shook her head slightly to clear it. "Nothing's wrong… it's just… you'll be away for two weeks, and you need the same person to stay with you the whole time, right?"

Clef nodded. "Barring emergencies no one is allowed to enter or leave the Venue, probably a hotel, for the duration of the talks."

"And you need this person to be okay in a fight, but look more like a decoration or formality than an actual bodyguard?" Again Clef nodded, confused. Umi took a deep breath and glanced round the table.

"Then I have an idea. I could go."

A deep silence fell heavily across the hall.

There was a brief pause while all three men stared at her, and Umi flushed bright red and dropped Clef's hand, though she refused to look away. She was opening her mouth to defend her idea when, to her surprise, Lantis spoke.

"That… actually sounds about perfect. Who better as a 'ceremonial' bodyguard than a legendary magic knight?"

LaFargo nodded, slowly. "We know you're good with a sword, and with magic – plus, you know Clef, so he shouldn't be too uncomfortable with having you around. You get along well enough when you aren't trying to kill each other, you know."

"Most of the Representatives won't suspect how strong you are because of your appearance," Lantis continued, and Umi rolled her eyes, but let the comment go because Clef spoke up then, hesitantly.

"Being from Earth rather than Cephiro could be an advantage, as well; make you seem more politically neutral, or at least not as aware of the situation…" Umi turned wide eyes on him.

"Then you think it would work? You'd let me come with you/" He shrugged, looking down.

"You'd be a, ah, lesser evil, I guess." He said, with a slight smirk. Umi grinned back, relaxing completely with the teasing comment.

"So I'm evil now, then?"

"Any bodyguard I'm forced to put up with must be evil. It's in the job description."

"_Right_. Well, whatever. As long as it's agreed I'm going with you?"

Clef's face turned serious again as he stood up, watching her closely. "As long as you don't mind it, Umi, I'd be grateful if you'd come along and keep these two from worrying themselves sick. I know you've all planned to stay here for a few weeks… you don't mind missing your holiday?"

"Nah – the talk's only two weeks, and our holiday is far longer than that, I'll have plenty of time to relax when we get back. Besides, seeing somewhere besides Cephiro for once sounds like fun!"

"Even if you spend it all cooped up in a hotel listening to a series of boring speeches and dusty discussions?" He shot back, one eyebrow raised. Umi's smile just got wider.

"I'll just spend it distracting you, then. Or daydreaming – I'm good at that."

"Then it's agreed." LaFargo cut in, anxious to get this finalised. "Umi will accompany Clef to the Conference of Nations, and act as his bodyguard. We can give her some extra training while she's here before you both have to leave, and when you get back we should hopefully have a shielding system in place – and a number of candidates to be a _permanent_ bodyguard. We can't impose on your time too much, Umi; we're deeply in your debt as it is, and you have another life to lead on Earth. If you'll grant us the time to find a permanent solution – someone compatible enough with Clef that they won't end up dead, but _will _stand up for themselves and not just let Clef push them around…" LaFargo was practically babbling, and clammed up quickly, a light blush on his cheeks when Umi started giggling quietly. Clef supposed he was tired, same as everyone else seemed to be.

Really, the entire castle could do with having a long vacation – he definitely could; preparing for these talks didn't fit in with managing his job and the castle at the same time, never mind the random and impromptu everyday affairs he always seemed to be called in for.

Really, it was no wonder he'd slightly less control over his temper than normal… okay, fine. He'd been incredibly waspish for the past few days, the stress and the lack of sleep beginning to catch up with him. He really, really hadn't needed this whole mess on top of that. Still, at least the solution seemed to be workable… Umi had taken hold of his hand again at some point, and he was grateful for the warmth in the touch.

They would make this work. It wasn't as if they'd never worked together before, and they'd achieved some pretty incredible results. As well as some pretty incredible fireworks, but you couldn't have everything… most of the time they got on like a house on fire.

Complete with explosions.

So, they fell out dramatically on occasion, snarking at each other. They were too much alike, he admitted privately, for anything else – but it gave them an edge in understanding each other, a way into their mindset. They could calm each other better than most if necessary, as Umi had proven today, a skill he was ready to admit would be useful at the summit; she could support him as he defended Cephiro from outside attacks.

His beloved country was evolving rapidly, and was more than desirable to many other systems. As they were just coming out of the seclusion granted by the protection of the pillar, they didn't have much political weight yet, but he was doing what he could to change that. Eagle Vision as Representative of Autozam had been a great help at first, distracting others when he lost his footing, and both Autozam and Fahren had aided him learn to cope with this new arena… not so anyone else could see it or prove it, of course, but that was politics.

As for now, he sat listening to Lantis and LaFargo bouncing ideas around long into the evening. Umi stayed beside him and listened raptly to the discussion of a side to Cephiro she'd never seen before. In the end, with his headache beginning to stab threateningly at his temples, he gave in and left them to it while he retired to bed. (Escorted by Umi, and with a tough new shield around the room put there by Lantis and LaFargo themselves, but he was too tired to make a fuss even at that.)

He had the vague memory of promising Lantis that he would call the Organising Representative on Dleivus tomorrow, in their presence, and slid into cycling dreams where he argued with representative after representative to be allowed to bring Umi, while Lantis stood behind him, building a tiny steel cage.

He woke once, with the odd impression he'd promised to turn Umi into a small creature if someone would fit his room with a lawn instead of a carpet, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Despite all this, he still got a better (and longer) night's sleep than he had in over ten days, waking almost refreshed and ready to face another day of spells and preparations, as well as endless paperwork.

As soon as he got a certain communication out of the way, anyway.

end chapter two


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes (aka babbling): creeps in sheepishly hi, again… I'm very sorry this is so late! This fic is _supposed _ to be on a chapter-a-week update, which it should get back on now: Christmas holiday ate my time, and also the internet: I didn't have reliable access until I got back to Uni, and since then I've been busy as anything trying to get a place on the exchange program to Japan next year… and this chapter was being a _pain_. It was meant to be short – it didn't _exist_ in the first outlines, and then it just kept getting longer and longer. (The worst thing is, we still haven't got to where I think the plot kicks off properly. TT Bear with me here, please?)

Also, sorry I haven't replied to reviewers – thank you all very much! I just haven't had the time (or the access…) Basically? I love getting your comments, they make me so much happier about the whole thing. XD (And I'm sorry about all the politics which crept into this fic, I really am. It was simple at one point, then Clef started pointing at people and asking what their motives were. Insistently. It's all his fault!)

Sorry for this babble, while I'm at it. It's laaaaaate typing up the last 2000 words took far too long. Still, at least it's here, no? I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Three: running in circles.

Clef stared at the crystal screen in front of him, then back up at his 'audience', vaguely bewildered as to why he was even contemplating this. Then the door swung open, and he turned in time to see Umi wander through them, strolling over to the stools Lantis and LaFargo were both sat on.

O_h, yes. _Clef sighed deeply. _They made me feel damn guilty._

"We all set?" Umi asked, eyes still half closed. They were all in the Guard Room, and had been waiting for her – she was officially a part of this mess, now, after all.

"As long as Clef understands all the conditions we worked out last night, this should go fine – assuming, of course, the Honoured Representative" was that sarcasm in Lantis's voice? "doesn't take offence and fight like hell about this. We just need Clef to make the contact."

Three expectant pairs of eyes turned to Clef, and he waved a handful of paper at them, rolling his eyes. They must have been up half the night – the paper was a huge series of points about Umi's term as his bodyguard. How it would appear, and how it would actually work… the last page appeared to be an actual contract for him to sign. Among the more usual terms, including a fee to be paid to Umi by the state for 'putting up with him for that damn long', were other points detailing Umi's 'rights'.

Such as the right to yell at him for as long as she wanted, in private or public, if she felt homesick.

_…they really must have been up late to come up with half of this stuff. I wonder if the kitchen actually has any tea left?_

He'd skimmed over the rest of the thing – he shouldn't need the details for this call, not really. And he was concentrating _very hard_ on NOT thinking about certain parts of it. _'It will be easiest to hide the true purpose of the bodyguard's presence by letting others believe she and the Master Mage are lovers. This should be easy enough, most people will probably speculate on the basis of sharing a room, disguising its purpose as always being on duty'. _

No, Clef was not thinking about that. He wasn't sure what he'd feel about it anyway, even if he had been… no. Drawing a deep breath, he turned to Umi. "Given that I wasn't assaulted by the other two knights at breakfast, demanding information, I take it you haven't told them yet?"

"No." Umi blinked sleepily, eyes still unfocused and glassy. "It was too late last night, and I decided it might be better to wait until after this call… communication… anyway. As long as the guy agrees, I'll tell them later."

"Oh." Clef thought up another question, and went to ask it, only to be cut off by Lantis.

"If you're done procrastinating, Clef, would you just get on with it?" There was a bite to the words, and Clef, though scowling, turned back to the screen.

Poking two of the gems from the array beneath it got the screen awake and quietly glowing silver, five more in a quick sequence opened a connection to the Relay Ship, high up in the atmosphere, which was designed to deal with all the different technologies all the countries used. A fuzzy headed technician appeared on the screen.

"Ah… good morning, Sir; how may I help you?"

"I need to open a comm to Dleivus. The Representative Kuregu. They should be awake – it's mid afternoon there, I think-" the last sentence was more muttered to himself than anything and the technician, wisely, didn't acknowledge it.

"Very well, Sir. I'll get right on it – " the man turned away to a screen and panel out of sight on their image, and began to call up the correct technology, the correct link. It took a few minutes, then they heard him speaking to someone: "Hello? This is the Cephiro Relay Ship. I need to reach Representative Kuregu, on behalf of Representative and Master Mage Clef… Yes, Clef of Cephiro… Thank you." He turned back to their screen. "A servant has gone to fetch the Representative, it shouldn't take too long now, so I'll connect you through directly."

"Thank you." The man did _something,_ and there was a series of crackles and thunks before the screen blacked out for a moment, then began glowing softly. Clef _really _wished these stupid comms didn't take so much _work_. It gave you long enough to become nervous, if you were so inclined…

…damn it all, what if he said _yes?_

Then there was a bleep, and the screen showed a tall, well dressed man relaxed in a high backed armchair. "Ah, Representative Clef. Good morning to you in Cephiro – is there something I can help you with?"

Kuregu was always calm and dignified, long steel grey hair pulled back into a loose ponytail that always seemed unintentionally neat, and his clothes utterly tidy. He was also one of the few representatives who were truelly older than Clef, not just physically (as, even though he'd let himself grow in the last few years, he was still only about twenty physically) or… internally, in attitude, but actually _older._ And it seemed he'd been a diplomat for most of his life. Speaking with him had never yet failed to make Clef feel as if he was a scruffy apprentice again.

"You are correct as usual, sir." Clef shifted to sit up straighter. "And a good afternoon to you?" He hadn't meant it to come out a question, but Kuregu nodded slightly anyway. "As a matter of fact, yes; a matter has come up with which Cephiro requests your help."

"Dealing with the Conference of Nations next week?"

"Yes." And Clef hated this endless small talk, dancing around the subject… he could do it, and would, when he had to. He still loathed it. "I have been… advised… to request permission to extend my party by one, so that I may bring a bodyguard with me, to safeguard my person… and Cephiro's place in the talks." _Let him make what he will of that._

"…" Representative Kuregu's expression did not alter, but he paused, considering Clef. "…There is reason to fear for… your safety? I can assure you, the venue is as safe as we can possibly make it. Unless you feel that the security measures in place are not sufficient? As head of security, I would be happy to hear any worries you might have." The voice was cold as ice, and Clef could hear someone shifting nervously in the room behind him. He fought the urge to turn around and glare at whoever was disturbing him, focusing on the screen:

"I realise your people are doing all they can, sir. And yet so many of the honoured representatives bring a guardian within their party, along with the assorted aides, secretaries, families…" Clef's tone was light, but his meaning not. "I sometimes feel utterly left out at these things! Though I supposse _you_ wouldn't get a chance to feel lonely, with the large entourage necessary to aid you in the running of the talks… and security, of course..." Clef smiled, nicely, crushing the urge to show teeth with it. Representative Kuregu blinked, and then bowed his head to Clef; properly this time.

"And it does relieve those at home to know you have such a person with you, does it not, Clef."

"It does – especially when those at home are as overprotective as Cephiro's Castle Guardsmen. You would think I didn't know a thing about attack magic, the way they talk!" and there were some teeth in Clef's grin, then, briefly. Kuregu sat further back in his chair.

"I take it you will be requiring a room change then, if possible?"

"Yes. A twin room, if at all possible. The adjoining study I may have to forgo this time." Clef sighed around the light smirk he couldn't force off his face. The man had thought he would back down over something like this? Hah! He knew better now… and Kuregu hadn't pushed far, really, but then he probably thought he could… convince Clef to follow his lead in more important matters, with what he knew…

Kuregu almost smiled. "Well, I'll see what I can do: it may not be possible to find a twin room, the Venue is particularly crowded this year, and that is always the most popular choice. Would you prefer a double or two singles as the alternative?"

"A double, please." Clef stated, one hand tightening slightly on the list. If they were going to pull off the illusion that…

"Very well. I will contact the Venue, and leave a message with the appropriate channels for you to be informed of the outcome-" meaning one of his secretaries would talk to Clef's, only Clef didn't actually HAVE a secretary, so they would probably wind up talking to Ascot instead. "Was there anything else?"

"No, thank you – I won't take up anymore of your valuable time. Thank you for your help."

Kuregu reached forwards to turn his screen off, but sat back suddenly, halfway through the motion. "Oh!" he actually looked startled for a moment – it was quite unsettling to see. "Who is this new member of your party? I require a name and place of origin for all the records, and the reservations." Meaning 'security checks'. Kuregu's way of getting ahead in this game.

Clef concentrated on not grinning. "Ryuuzaki Umi, Magic Knight of Water, donner of the Rune God Selece. Place of origin, the Planet Earth, the country of Nihon. Will that suffice, for the records?" Kuregu was staring at him, and _that_ felt _good._ _Finally someone you can't dig up any information on, heh?_

"I… yes. Thank you, Representative Clef. I wish you a good day." The screen went black, and Clef flopped backwards into the chair, eyes closed. A faint grin played on his lips, then faded - _damn, he said YES!_ before he realised his audience was remaining ominously quiet. Looking around, he was amused to find all three of them staring at him.

"Yes?"

"…That was like a whole new language," murmured LaFargo, in something like awe. "Now I know why Ferio pays you so much – so he never has to deal with all… _that._"

Lantis stared at him. "Half of that went over my head, I think. What you meant, anyway, because that sure as hell wasn't what you _said._ I _know_ you threatened him; that you were both posturing, for that matter. But I can't tell _how._" Clef smiled a little, and turned to Umi, one eyebrow raised.

"…I'm amazed you kept your temper with that jerk." She said, flicking her hair back over one shoulder, and raising an eyebrow right back at him.

"Ah, but I slept for more than four hours last night, you see." Clef replied, grinning madly, and shaking his head at her slightly.

LaFargo blinked at the both of them now. "Umi… you understood all that rubbish and politeness? How could you _tell_ he was a jerk!"

"Practise. My father is a diplomat on Earth – an ambassador, in fact."

"Looks like you really were the best choice for this job." Lantis stated, than stood up. "Now, if we're done for the moment here, LaFargo and I must begin our work for the day."

And that was it, everything was set. No one brought up the issue of the double room, to Clef's relief; all they had to do now was actually _tell _people.

The rest of the day swept by Clef in another flurry of preparations and other various jobs. There were three new apprentices needing to be assigned teachers, and he had to fit in an interview with each of them before the talks to sort that out. Hopefully, they could go into one of the residential courses in the Castle, living here for several months and training with a variety of mages in a class group-

Thinking of which, he made a notice to himself to push the issue of establishing a new, proper academy with Ferio when he had time. If he could get a land grant from the state processed while he was away they'd be off to a good start – most of the rest he could leave to the trio of mages he'd set up as the head of the classes here, who would take over the academy itself once he got it established… thoughts along those lines kept him franticly busy.

It wasn't until teatime when Ascot walked in looking like a storm cloud that he remembered they hadn't told anyone else about the whole bodyguard thing yet. Ascot didn't _quite_ slam a piece of paper down in front of him; Caldina, sat next to Clef, blinked and leant across to read it.

" 'Room booking confirmation – one twin room confirmed for Representative Clef of Cephiro and Knight Umi of Earth at the Venue for the duration.' Hang on… Umi's going somewhere with you, Clef?"

Okay, so not _warning_ telling Ascot before now in a gentle fashion hadn't been very… diplomatic of him. He'd forgotten! From the wry glance Umi had just shot him, he wasn't the only one now thinking that.

_At least it's a twin room._ He had time to think, before Ascot spoke out.

"The girl who gave me the message, Mikke, was terribly upset you were sharing a room this time – especially when I confirmed Umi was female." He didn't quite spit the words out, just as he hadn't quite slammed the paper down, but the anger was clear.

"Mikke?..." Clef frowned, staring into space. "…Oh! Short dark hair, which waves, and dark eyes?"

"_Yes!"_

"Why, having trouble keeping your women straight, Clef?" Lantis asked, straight faced. LaFargo was trying to keep a straight face next to Caldina, as well.

"Having trouble keeping that idiot's secretaries straight. I swear he must have a whole castle of them – all very professional, and taught to flirt with every being in sight. The number of Representatives brought down by Kuregu's legion of 'secretaries' is phenomenal; not only do they seduce, but they're information dealers as well. I wouldn't worry about her, Ascot. She probably tried it on you next, trying to used the sympathy angle…" and that wasn't very tactful, either, as Ascot confirmed she'd managed it, his stance stiffening beside Clef. The poor guy had probably been on the comm. commiserating with her for ages. But, well… _he has to learn about these threats somehow. Besides, this whole thing isn't MY fault!_

"Where IS this venue, anyway?" Umi put in, moving the conversation on – neither Hikaru nor Fuu had said anything yet, and she wasn't quite looking at them.

"I don't know." Clef looked up at her. "The venue for the Conference of Nations changes every year, and remains a secret known only to the organisers: usually it's a large hotel complex set out in the middle of nowhere. _We _go to Dleivus, Kuregu transports us to thevenue, and we're all confined there for the duration of the Talks."

"You're going away Umi?" Fuu put in, voice quiet, distracting everyone's attention from a quietly seething Ascot. Umi turned to the other knights and Clef would have described the look in her eyes as wary, then she was speaking and he ignored Caldina's questioning to listen.

"Yes, as long as I'm not needed here. Clef needs a bodyguard, some idiot is persistently trying to kill him, and he'll be out of the safety he has here at the Castle when he goes to these talks," she paused and they nodded. With all the furious rushing around and planning Clef was doing, the whole Castle knew about the talks. "Lantis and LaFargo agreed I seemed a good choice, and I was there when they were discussing it…"

"How long will you be away for?" Umi glanced at Clef.

"Two weeks, probably, as long as everything goes to plan." He said, and the knights went quiet, considering it.

Then Hikaru looked up, and smiled brightly at Umi. "Well, I hope you have lots of fun!"

"Is it okay, you guys? I know we had plans for the holidays, but…"

"It's understandable that you want to help Clef out instead of doing nothing useful… and Cephiro too, of course." Umi stared as Fuu smiled at her.

"Yeah, you'll get to meet all sorts of people! And staying in a hotel for two weeks… I'm sure you'll have fun!"

Umi grinned, then reached over to hug her two friends across the table. "I wouldn't know about _fun_, I have to put up with Clef for two whole weeks as well, you know!"

"I'm sure you'll manage without killing him too much." Fuu smiled.

Then the moment was over, and the length of the table exploded with questions, which Umi left happily for Clef, Lantis and LaFargo to answer, concentrating on her food. She'd been training all that afternoon with the Castle Guard, on Lantis's instructions, and she was starved! Clef didn't answer many himself either, too busy eating; he'd forgotten to have lunch. He waved a fork or knife at one of the others to shift each question, finished fairly quickly, and stood.

"I'm done. I still have work to do; Ferio, I need to see you about the Academy, among other things; Ascot, I want to go over everything I'm leaving with you once more, I've remembered another couple of jobs that will need taking care of. Also, Umi, I guess I'd better speak with you over the next few days as well, about the talks. I'll be in my study or the library if anyone needs me, probably." The door shut behind him.

"Is he actually paying any attention to what we're telling him?" LaFargo asked Lantis, exasperated. "Things such as 'try not to move through the corridors on your own, especially when your position is common knowledge?"

"Hmph. Isn't it your job to keep track of him?" Lantis asked Umi, who grinned back.

"No one's paid me yet. I don't see why I should help out until thay do, especially not when I'm eating! Besides, you've already got two members of the Guard trailing him."

"Hang on a second, there- she gets paid? I have to pay Umi too now?" moaned Ferio, setting down his cutlery. "Why do I never get asked about these things?"

And so Clef left the hall that day with every intention of getting done everything he'd said, besides a lot more, and determined to loose the two Castle Guards shadowing him as much as possible over the next few days. Even the very best of intentions, however, aren't always realised.

Of course, to Umi, none of it felt actually real until Caldina showed up at the Knights' bedroom door the next evening with a huge _thing_ resembling a suitcase dragging behind her, and a grin stretching almost from ear to ear. Hikaru was out, but the others were in, trying to sort out the jumbled mass their clothes had turned into since they'd been here. All their things had been put away neatly in wardrobes and drawers… just not necessarily the right ones.

Within a minute, however, Fuu was sitting safely out of the way on her bed, watching as Caldina sent Umi dashing around the room for various things to be collected in a heap on the floor. Pyjamas, hairbrushes, underwear… the myriad bits and pieces people take on holiday were being collected. A few books Umi had reluctantly brought from Tokyo in case she got bored enough to start revising, and her spare set of toothbrush and toothpaste were dropped on top of the clothes.

"Won't I need more clothes than this?" Umi asked when Caldina finally stopped asking for new items. Standing back, she arched her back until her shoulders clicked, sighing in relief. "I mean, there are more towels than clothes in that lot, I think."

"Well, yeah – but I already packed them."

Caldina grinned again, and the two leant forwards with wide eyes as she opened the suitcase. It really was half-full already; a mass of fabrics and gleaming embroidery sat there neatly. Soft blues and greys mixed with more shades of purple and indigo than Umi'd known could exist, and Caldina pulled the top few layers out for them to admire the variety of outfits. A few dresses and more casual items lay next to sets of full formal robes: something like a cross between Clef and Ferio's usual clothing in style, though tailored for a lady. Umi reached out, then drew her hand back carefully before she touched them, riveted.

"You didn't think you could get away with ordinary Earth clothes, did you?" Caldina's eyes were dancing as she looked down on the bewildered Umi. "You're going to represent Cephiro, after all – it's an excuse to dress up in all sorts of things!"

Umi's fingertips brushed lightly over the soft fabric of one. "I… get to wear this stuff?" Caldina winked across at Fuu, who giggled lightly, and Umi never noticed: too entranced by the idea of wearing Cephiro's clothing.

"Well, yeah. I even got LaFargo to check my choices were all appropriate for a bodyguard – you should be able to fight in any of them if you have too… except maybe the gowns, but you'd manage that if you had to, I reckon."

"…gowns? Ballgowns?" Umi rubbed at her eyes with one hand absently, not caught up; her mind had stalled somewhere around her touching the cloth. The reality of the robes was oddly disturbing: this was really happening, she was really going to the Conference with Clef… and he was really in danger…

Beginning to pack the items Umi had gathered, Caldina nodded an assurance. "Yep. There's always at least one Ball at these things you'll have to go to. Whether you can bully Clef into dancing is another matter."

Shaking her head slightly, Umi finally sat back, her hands pulling slowly away from the case to let Caldina get on with the packing unhindered. "A Ball?... How d'you know all this? From Clef? I haven't managed to see him yet to work out what's actually going to happen when we get there."

"From _Clef?_ Hardly!" Caldina snorted. "That man never talks about any of the meetings he has to go to… not to anyone, beside the report to Ferio and the council. I've got a friend who's been with the Chizetan group a few times. That's how I got the task of packing for Clef in the first place, I had more of an idea what he'd need than he did. Besides the fact he's useless at packing, that is." She rolled her eyes. "Books, papers, writing pens… all of those he's fine on, but leave him on his own, and you can bet half the clothes he needs will be missing. He forgot to pack any trousers one year."

Laughter filled the room for a few minutes before Caldina went on. "Okay, so he could cheat and create clothing for himself if he really has to… but it isn't the same, and takes unnecessary effort when he's already busy…"

"I see." Umi flopped down on the end of Fuu's bed as more and more disappeared into the suitcase. How it wasn't full yet she really didn't know.

"As for speaking to Clef before you go… well, if you don't corner him at some point and make him talk, you aren't going to get to. He's insanely busy again… just like LaFargo, working 'till all hours, barely sleeping…" Caldina huffed her opinion of people who work too much. "Not that I believe for a minute that's the only reason he hasn't been sleeping…" she added, darkly.

Frowning, Umi leant forwards. "What do you mean?"

"Too many mornings that mage has shadows _in_ his eyes, not just under them." Came the answer. Umi flicked a glance at Fuu, who blinked back at her, just as confused. Caldina sighed, and let her eyes drop shut. "He just… has a _look_, one I've seen before on Ferio, LaFargo… even Lantis. It means nightmares, bad ones, hanging around him… at least, that's the way LaFargo described it."

"…you really think so?" a light frown was drawn across Fuu's face. "Couldn't he just be tired, overworked? The Conference must be very stressful to prepare for, too…"

"Well, yeah, he's those too – but Clef pushing himself too far and stressing out's hardly a rare thing, is it." Caldina snorted, and a smile tweaked the corners of Fuu's mouth.

"I guess not."

"You've seen him madly overworked before, it's different this time. Clef's…"

"Cranky." Smirked Umi, as Caldina pondered.

"Well, yeah."

"I suppose the Master Mage has been a bit more short tempered than usual the past few weeks…"

"Flopping back onto the mattress, Umi stared blankly at the empty white of the ceiling, the laugh on her lips not touching her eyes. She didn't noticed Fuu and Caldina were both watching her now, gazes oddly evaluating as she looked up through the roof. "A bit?" Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible. " That's putting it mildly, and you never even saw him almost blow Lantis and LaFargo out of their office…" She was utterly still for once, and the new smile darting between the other two women went right over her head without being noticed.

"Well, this could be his chance to relax and unwind a bit, sort himself out." Caldina responded, breaking Umi's drifting trail of thought. "Not that he won't be working, of course… but I'm sure you'll make sure he relaxes and forgets everything for a while."

"…" Umi propped herself up onto her elbows to watch the dancer suspiciously, as Caldina pushed the last few things into the suitcase with an innocent-looking smile. "…I'll do my best to help him out at the conference, yeah. I mean, he's my _friend_; why _wouldn't_ I…"

"Like I said, I'm sure you'll do your best." Caldina yanked the fastenings shut. "Besides-" - _tug_ – "you'll be in the right place to find out if he's having nightmares, won't you." The case was firmly shut, and she stood with an easy, flowing motion, brushing off her knees. "Well, I'm done here. I'll see you two at dinner!" and Caldina was out of the door and half way down the corridor before the others had a chance to react, the suitcase floating along behind her.

Blinking, bemused, Umi turned back to Fuu. "I guess Caldina's busy too at the moment, huh?"

"So it seems." Fuu smiled back. And so should we be, if we want to get out for that picnic tomorrow – I suggest we get to the kitchens before anything else stalls us!"

Umi stood, laughing. "Yeah, sounds like a good plan. Hikaru's probably been driving the cooks mad waiting for us." Trailing Fuu through the echoing corridors, Umi's thoughts turned to the food they needed to feed everyone coming out with them the next day (which had been slowly growing until now being best summed up as 'half the damn castle'), and all thoughts of nightmares were pushed away to the back of her mind… at least until teatime, several frantic hours later, when she collapsed into the seat opposite Clef.

After falling on the meal she'd been trying not to drool over for the last hour as it filled the Kitchens with a glorious aroma, Umi took time between bites to glance across at the mage. His face _was_ paler than usual, now she was really looking; except for the unhealthily pink flush dusting his cheeks. That could be from exhaustion, yes… but gazing out the corners of her eyes, Umi thought she could see what Caldina meant. Clef's eyes were dark and heavy, distant…

She ate without paying attention, too intent on pretending she wasn't watching Clef. His hands trembled the smallest of amounts as they moved, and… were those flecks of silver in his eyes, or just reflections?

…that she was able to stare that long without Clef noticing was probably more telling than anything else, really. Umi was able to look long and hard enough to catch the faint, not-there gleam of silver writing in the air, twisting over Clef, the light glinting faintly in his eyes and on his hair… but never touching anything else.

"You're shielding yourself, aren't you." She blurted out suddenly, just as Ferio tried to ask her something. A hush fell across the long table for a moment as Clef's wide, tired eyes raised to meet hers quietly.

His hand flicked, once, and the chains of writing shone in the air around him, twisting eagerly about his arms, legs, head…

"Yes. Someone's been aiming tracer spells at me all day, I'm blocking them."

The silence thickened until it could almost be tasted in the air, heads turning all around to stare. Clef ignored them all, eyes fastened on Umi's through the spell-light and translucent symbols.

Her hand tightened until the spoon she held began to bend. "Do you know what they intend if one got through?"

Nodding, Clef's eyes slid away. "The spells are all linked back to the same mass of energy – a large ice spell, set up in the air above the castle. If one gets through it would recognise my 'signature' and drag the other down."

"It would kill you." Her throat was tight, barely letting the words be forced through, and it wasn't a question but Clef answered it anyway.

"If it got through my shields, yes. Which is why I'm just fooling the tracers at the moment. I don't want to try something and pull that down on top of myself. Leave it, and all the spells are slowly loosing energy, dissipating. They were cast and cut off, left there, so I can't trace the caster through them… but that means they have no power to feed on and maintain themselves. They'll be gone in an hour or so."

"I take it that's what you wanted to talk to me about earlier, Clef?" Lantis was leaning across the table further down. "Or was there something more?"

Clef sighed and set is cutlery down, not even poking at his food anymore as he folded his hands tightly together. "Just that, well… I recommend… the full system of shields? Well, that you put it in place tonight, while I'm asleep – I don't want anyone else made the target of something like this, and I can't sense it if I'm asleep, unless it's directly targeting me." He was very carefully _not_ looking at Ferio as he said all this, and the Prince was listening hard, his face stern. Fuu reached out and held one of Ferio's hands tightly, watching Clef carefully along with the rest of the diners.

The whole room was tense, holding its breath. Umi's own mouth was dry, and she could see Ascot glancing up at the ceiling suspiciously, as if he could see through it to the menace high above. His face, though, wasn't nearly as pale as Caldina's as she sat next to him, moving slightly so she leant against LaFargo. No one was eating, or even moving… seeing her friends' faces tight with worry suddenly made Umi violently wish she'd never said anything. If this was what happened when people knew…well, maybe she understood Clef not wanting to report te attempts on his life, just a bit. It felt as if the fear were hanging over all of their heads.

…well, okay, so maybe it actually _was_ this time, but that's not what she meant.

"I'm sorry, Clef – I shouldn't have asked you like that." She babbled, snapping the quiet. His eyes sprung up to stare at her. "It wasn't the time… besides, I know you could handle whatever it might have been-"

"It's okay, Umi!" he cut in, reaching across the table and grabbing her hands, pulling her fingers away from the palms of her hands. She looked down, blinking, and stared at the deep marks her nails had left there. Clef squeezed her hands gently, and her head lifted again to see him smile softly. "It's okay. I mean, watching over me _is _your job now, right?" He paused until she nodded slowly. "Well, any spell-light around me could just as easily be a spell cast _on_ me. You were right to ask. Besides, everyone here would have to be notified at some time – you just made it a whole lot easier." His fingertips brushed hers lightly as he drew his hands away, sitting back in his chair. A slight smile crossed her own face in response, and neither of them were conscious of the rest of the table… half of whom were grinning at the sight. "I'm just impressed you can see anything! No one's spotted a warding of mine for well over a hundred years now."

"Well, the light… the magic is flickering on you, your hair, but not on anything else, that's all…" she tried valiantly not to blush as his smile turned into a full-on grin.

"You have sharp eyes, Umi."

And that was that – everyone went back to eating again, and chatting, even Clef joining in the random conversations.

Clef met with Ferio and got the grant of land needed for the Academy – at least the agreement was finalised, and the beginning of the paperwork. He met with a fairly sheepish Ascot to go over things at least four times, cleared his desk of paper twice, finished his correspondence and set work for all the students he was tutoring.

He did not, however, manage to find Umi for a decent talk about the conference, and what she should expect. He barely saw anyone for the amount of work he churned through, in fact, those last few days – not many people would brave the chaos of his study, or his increasingly short temper.

_At least I haven't thrown lightning bolts at anyone yet. Well, not intentionally…"_

The conference day arrived all too quickly, and he found himself stood on the roof of the castle, suitcases hovering next to him and Umi beside it, waiting for the Autozam-style transport to touch down for boarding.

end chapter three


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: Hello again! XD Thank you to everyone whose sticking with me through these boring set up chapters, and I'm very sorry for this one: I'm currently running a fairly high temperature, and so the whole thing comes with a warning. O.o This chapter doesn't EXIST in the outline, except for about a hundred words at the beginning of the next one, which is what I sat down to write yesterday.

Then Clef got travel sick, and decided to babble to take his mind off the fact he felt awful, and so now I have this thing. O.o I tried to cut large bits of it out but every time I did, something made me rewrite them on the next go through. In the end, I gave up: my head just hurts too much to deal with it at the moment.

There's also the fact that Clef was trying to put in foreshadowing, failing miserably, and that my brain used his rambling as an exposition dump. I'm incredibly sorry for that, but it should let me get the political set up stuff out the way so I can get on with the actual story? (I want to write the ball scenes! They're the reason this EXISTS. pouts)

Second disclaimer: I have NOTHING against secretaries. I keep calling Kuregu's minions that, mainly because they're the closest thing in this to a civil service. (Which is made up of Permanent Under Secretaries to the Departement of at the top levels. XD) Repeat: I don't hate secretaries! Honest!

Also, I'm not really sure the Comm last chapter will have made sense to anyone who, well, isn't me and doesn't know what I think they were really saying. So have a summary! XDDD

Kuregu: Hah, I'm older than you, and smart, and powerful. I can ignore you any time I want, Puny younger person!

Clef:… but I'm not going to let you ignore me. HA, I know exactly how you work, and I'm not afraid to point it out! (bastard)

Kuregu:… Hmm. Perhaps you have some potential after all. Very well, I won't ignore you this time. (Besides, we both know something that the audience doesn't yet…)

Clef: Good. Because I could blow you up if I wanted to!

Kuregu:... … that wouldn't be a good idea?

Clef: Well, I'm not going to NOW. Besides, why do I need to? I'm bringing possibly the only person in the galaxy you can't yet blackmail to back me up!

Kuregu: Well, damn. (But I'm still older and powerful!)

Um. Yes. I'll stop rambling now… (when can I take more paracetamol?)

Chapter Four: transports and windows

Aka being travel sick.

" So," said Umi, sat comfortably in the back of the odd cross between a bus and a train which ha picked them up, " what the hell are we actually doing?"

Clef turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question – though his face was fairly pale. His knuckles, too, were white where they gripped the safety harness. _I guess he's not used to transports like this, then – I'm lucky I'm so used to planes, or I wouldn't be particularly happy in this thing, either._ "for starters, aren't we meant to get ourselves to this meeting place on our own?"

" We _are_ getting there on our own, Umi. I called in a favour to get a transport, because getting an extra slot for translocation of any sort would have us leaving at about one o'clock this morning." Clef's hands relaxed a little. "Besides, it's a symbol of status and wealth arriving in one of these things. And Cephiro needs all the extra power people can imagine for us."

Umi was quiet, watching, Clef for several long minutes. She wasn't sure he'd meant to say that last to her, and didn't know what to make of it. In the end though, she spoke up. "How badly off is Cephiro, really? I know that it can't have had much contact with the other countries before Emeraude passed on, but it can't take that long to gain some impact, can it?"

Clef sighed deeply. "It can and it does, I'm afraid. It's probably not as bad on earth, I imagine that you get people moving in and out of the job in… twenty years or so? Anyway, here, a lot of diplomats _train_ for that long, next to working… 'masters', for want of a better term. Some of the people out there have been in politics for several centuries… that's long enough to learn a lot of tricks, and to gain a whole lot of personal power you can use to get things going the way you want them to. No one from Cephiro has ever had that chance."

"Before the pillar system was destroyed, we… well, we didn't really bother with the rest of the world. A few people traveled back and forth – Lantis for one, and Caldina, too, for that matter. Others like them. But it was only a few, and never for anything… business related. Just curiosity, really, I guess. Wondering who was out there… _what_ was out there… I went, once, long ago." Umi sat up straighter at this – she had never heard anything suggesting_ that_ before! Clef chuckeled at her expression, relaxing his death grip on the arms of his chair a little.

"I was… oh, about two hundred, I guess. Something like being… eighteen? In your world. Not really an adult, not quite a child, and far too confident and energetic. I'd never been on my own before that, and then I was wandering these strange new places, utterly lost and over my head." He grinned. "I _loved_ it! It was absolutely insane. I wandered about all these strange places, with no responsibilities, and no one to tell me what to do, completely and utterly lost! I had hardly any money, and no wish for a real job – I moved almost every week, at least, so no one would want to _employ_ me either. So I demonstrated magic, for a bit. Some of the places had a large number of… idle nobility, shall we say, and they were willing to pay well for an afternoon's diversion. My powers were something they didn't see much of, what with my being a Cephiran mage. I demonstrated in several courts, I seem to remember, and there were quite a few other 'magicians' who were… curious… that's not quite the right word, but never mind. They paid well, too, trying to learn the ' truth' behind Cephiro's power."

"But I didn't like many of them much. I didn't want to give away the extent of my power, either, and I was always worried in the back of my mind about the magic rebounding and hurting me from such a frivolous use of it. So I found other things to do. I only really needed food and drink – I hitchhiked a lot, stowed away a few times; don't tell anyone that, by the way; and slept rough. Sometimes I'd help out in a bar or café for the day, and in return get fed. I never actually stole… but I nearly did. I got caught up in a fight between two street gangs somewhere, and got swept away on the adrenaline, hanging around them for a few days… my conscience wouldn't let me be, though. So I left them too."

Clef sighed once more, eyes slightly unfocused, staring off into the memories only he could see. Umi was watching him, somewhat amused but somehow not as startled as she should have been about all this.

Clef shook his head slightly, focusing himself again. "Anyway… the point is, I was fairly typical of those who visited other countries, and you can see what a little help that would be to Cephiro's standing with the other countries… we held our selves aloof from them, being 'mysterious' and 'powerful'. We hid behind the cloak of the pillar system for thousands of years – and now our strength has been torn from us, as they see it.

"We have the worst balance it could be possible for them to imagine. They see us as being… virtually defenceless, as a nation, but still strong… able to get whatever we wish for, because _that_ myth is still hanging on. And that's why we _need _more power, more impact. Because they think we're just about the perfect resource… lots of power as individuals, absolutely none as a country. It's vaguely true, which makes things worse. Then there's all these powerful diplomats out there, most of whom have huge private networks of Allies. All unseen, of course, because private power lines in that sense are technically illegal in the international arena – as well as most of the local arenas. Cephiro doesn't _have_ a local arena! Just the council, Really, and none of them are elected, just the heads of various families and institutions. The whole thing was defunct until the pillar fell, a relic of the time when there were no priests to convey wishes and prayers to the pillar."

Clef paused, and Umi broke in. "And in the last few years, they suddenly realized they had all of this potential power, right? I've heard Ferio and you both complaining about them."

" I wouldn't mind an elected council, you know." Clef huffed. " one selected by the people… but these are just abusing the power for their own sakes, we have no way to get rid of them, and they have no right to mistreat the people the way they try to!"

Umi listened, fascinated despite herself. "…it's almost like Cephiro is feudal. No, not quite feudal… bastard feudalism, that's it! Only now the head of the system, the point of it all, is gone… the way in which Cephiro is built is more like democracy now than anything else… well, maybe, communism? Still… they don't match up. Your power structures and the system don't match, so people can abuse it, as the people who have power to create Cephiro don't all have power in the system to defend themselves and the use of their power."

"… I think I followed that," said Clef, wryly. "Not knowing those terms you used didn't exactly help with It, but… you really _are_ politically aware, aren't you?"

" I…" she blinked. " I guess so. You struggle not to be, on Earth, past a certain age… and especially when you're studying history. The political systems have changed so much… I would say evolved, but I'm not sure the changes have really improved anything…"

"It's more than that." Clef looked straight at her, absolutely serious, and it felt as if his eyes were going through her, into her, she shivered. He looked… intense.

It wasn't exactly a _bad_ look for him, either.

" I… well, I guess so. With my father being who he is… we've always had people he works with around to eat, come to stay with us, and so I've always been around people talking about politics. You can't help but pick a lot up, like that… particularly when I was younger. I had to play the 'perfect little girl' for more people than anyone should have to. It helped I was cute as a child… they all went ' awww, isn't she precious,' and sent me off to play, because a pretty child 'can't understand adult conversation'… they didn't mind me in the same room, a lot, as long as I was quiet." Clef nodded at her.

"I don't suppose you know how we're meant to stop being… few-dall, was it?"

"Feudal, and, ah, not unless you want a civil war… I can't think of any other example, really, except slow change snuck in over time."

"…I don't think Ferio would really agree to our starting a civil war." Clef smirked at her, fairly amused at the idea. "Not even on his behalf!"

"Well, no… but then, that's usually the point!"

They were quiet, for a time, and Umi looked around at this… transport… curiously. It was… weird, all right, but still vaguely familiar… from the outside it had looked like a cross between a plane, a rocket ship, an… apple, and possibly thunderbird two. Inside, however, it looked more like a fancy lounge, crossed with the NSX; the Autozamnian connection, was plain to see, here, and she was willing to bet it was even run on the same types of technology. Clef had mentioned, once, that Autozam was at the head of that field.

The ship rumbled quietly on. There were no windows, but Umi could imagine what was out there – in the same thing as she'd seen from Selece, when fighting here against Autozam and the others. Which reminded her…

_/Selece? Can you hear me/ _she called out silently, listening hard. She didn't want to have to draw her sword to summon her rune god's attention – she probably wind up donning him, instead. And that wouldn't be very inconspicuous now, would it. But she needed to be certain she could still call on him, out here.

It shouldn't give her a problem… she _thought_. But she'd never been quite this far away from Cephiro before…

_/Yes, magic knight? I am here./_

She smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back in her seat. _/Good day, Selece. I'm glad to hear your voice again./_

_ /It is good to hear from you, too, Umi. Did you have a question for me/_

_/I just want to be sure I will be able to summon you out here. I may need your help… See, I'm going to this 'conference of nations' thing with-/ _a deep laugh cut her off.

_/With the mage, yes? To protect him/_

_/How did you…/_

_/I can hear you when you think very loudly, little one. You think loudly about the mage a lot./ _Umi blushed absolutely red at that, and Selece chuckled again. _/D__o not worry, little one. The mage is a worthy man; I will do all I can to aid your protection of him./_

_/Thank you, Selece. It means a lot to me, that you're still willing to help, even after going on from Cephiro./ _She was _not_ going to ask what Clef was worthy of. Selece had picked up a bad habit of teasing her. A lot.

_/It means a lot to me that you would still call on me, after I left Cephiro. That world may not be my dwelling place anymore, but it will always be home./ _There was a pause, then/_Mokona sends his regards to both of you, and says to tell the mage his new form suits him better._/ Umi giggled at that, not opening her eyes, and so didn't see the bemused look she was getting from Clef.

_/I'll pass it on. Thank you, again, Selece./_

_/And you, magic knight./_ And all of a sudden, her brain felt much quieter than it had been for the last half an hour.

Her eyelids drifted open, slowly, to find Clef watching her from his chair on the other side of the room.

"I'm assuming, given the faces you were just pulling, that you were speaking with Selece?" Umi flushed again, then her eyes narrowed at him, and the colour retreated. Clef swallowed a little, meeting those eyes.

"I have a message for you, Clef." She said, her voice far too cheery. Clef sat back further in his chair, leaning right against the edge of the wall behind him. He could feel the vibrations of the moving engine, through the wall, in his spine.

"You… do? Who from?"

"From Mokona." She paused, for dramatic effect. "He says that your new form suits you much better than your old one did." Umi sat back, satisfied, watching his reaction.

He freaked out enough that it had to have been an old argument between the two of them – not that Mokona had much room to talk about appearances, either. But his ranting about sneaky, spying, _interfering_ Creators was even more amusing… and there had to be a story behind that, too, somewhere.

He calmed down eventually, which she was quite disappointed about. The journey was boring her now. No… more than that. With no windows and no more people in the same room, she had no way of telling how quickly or slowly time was passing. It felt as if they… were standing still somehow. It was making Umi feel oddly detached, suspended in time, and anything to distract herself from it was a good thing.

"How much longer will this thing take, anyway?" she grumbled, half to herself.

"It won't be too long now." Clef answered her, looking at the clock over the door, a seemingly digital one which Umi couldn't read, it being in a different script than any she was used to. "About… half an hour? We've been in here almost an hour and a half… I'll teach you to read our clocks this week, don't worry. I should have done it sooner… well, someone should."

"…That long?" She wailed. "Why does it have to take that long? Why aren't there any _windows_ in here!"

"Windows are expensive." Clef stated, matter of factly, standing up to wander around and stretch his legs. "We should probably make good use of the time left, though. If you don't mind, I'll tell you about the conference?"

"Go right ahead." She sighed, a little too quickly. When he sat down again, Clef took the chair next to hers, and the warmth along her side where they were nearly touching helped Umi quell the very slight trembling which had taken over her hands. Clef ignored it, if he had even noticed it, and began to explain.

"Well… the 'Conference of Nations' is pretty much self explanatory in purpose: it's a meeting of one or more representatives from each of the 'countries' or 'nations' in the area. There are about a hundred Representatives in all, I think. Most of them also bring along about three or four people with them. Aides, secretaries, apprentices, families… a few have no one, like me – or at least like I did, until this year, - some have many more. Kuregu usually has about twenty of his secretary force with him – watch out for them. They'll all attempt to seduce you, whether they're male or female, without hesitation, and they're very good at it."

Umi didn't ask, however curious she was. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

"With that many people there, the whole place is chaos, and no one can really remember who everyone else is. If anyone begins talking to you, and you can't for the life of you figure out who they are, default to being very polite, and skip right to the conversation without mentioning any names at all. If you're sure they are a rep, you should technically address them as 'Honoured Representative', but only the really powerful or snobbish reps bother about it, and they'll ALWAYS let you know who they are first." He grimaced a little. "Don't let any of them intimidate you: they don't have a right to. You'll be fine. The day to day business is simple enough – breakfast together in the main dining hall, then a session of discussion on whatever the reps volunteer up and want to vote on, which anyone can attend, though only reps can take part in the actual discussion."

"The issues tend to be peace treaties, trade agreements, travel routes out in the gap… things like that, which involve everyone. Most of the nations represented are tiny things, though, with a population of only a few million beings. Those don't tend to be involved very much – just larger countries and those with a lot of power tend to do the talking. That group totals around twenty, and has the central round table. Cephiro counts, just, as do Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren – you may well see someone you know there. But we're all clinging onto our places with the skin of our teeth, so don't expect anyone to act as if they know you: they can't afford to be associated with other countries in difficulty with keeping their place. There are always more waiting to take a seat on the table, trying their hardest to get there. Autozam, especially, has been in trouble recently… I hope they've begun to recover."

"Sessions break up for lunch, of course, at some point. There's a couple of hours for that: it isn't as formal as breakfast, normally there are a number of different smaller resterants and cafes, which people wander off to at various times, or a buffet in the main dining hall. Then, in the afternoon, there is a smaller meeting, of just the main table. Those discussions are more varied… well, you'll see. Dinner can either be formal in the dining room, or informal in the other food halls, and then come the 'recreational activities'. They throw a ball every weekend, but most of the time it's just a table with drinks and snacks in a hall, so people can meet each other, and talk where other people can see them."

He watched Umi carefully as he spoke: this was a lot of information he was dumping on her haphazardly, anything he thought of that he felt she could do with knowing before they got there, and to his surprise (and sudden warmth) she didn't look at all overwhelmed or confused: just thoughtful, nodding her head slightly at him.

"My job isn't going to be easy, I see – it's a good thing _I_ can go to the talks with you, but that many people I don't know who can just wander in? No, not easy. And this 'inner table' situation makes you even more of a target then otherwise."

Clef relaxed. "I don't really think you'll have anything to do but be bored, Umi. If you could keep a straight face whilst doing it, I'd suggest talking with Selece, having him tell you stories, or something." Sometimes, she wished she'd never told Clef that she'd spent a couple of nights when insomnia struck talking to her Rune God.

She shot him a Look. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, so far most of the attacks have been made with monsters – only a few with hired assassins or other methods, so it's probable that the person behind them is _from_ Cephiro, and _we're _the only people from Cephiro attending. Technically, only I am, I guess." He got another Look, and could tell she hadn't bought his reasoning. It did explain, however, one of the reasons he had given in to her accompanying him quite so easily. He didn't believe she was going to be in danger.

Umi glared at him until he looked away, then huffed, and stared across the room. Her eyes lay on the suitcases piled in a corner there. "Hey, Clef? Why are we using suitcases, not gems? For that matter, where's your staff? I don't see it in here."

"It wouldn't be very diplomatic to bring the staff, Umi – it _is_ technically a weapon, or at least appears to be, and Reps aren't meant to be… violent, or able to threaten each other. Also as I would be the only who could access the gem, they wouldn't be able to search what was within it, if anything happened – they could tell me to empty it, but never be certain I HAD. That goes for both the staff and using them in place of suitcases." He smirked suddenly. "Besides, it let Caldina do half of our packing for us!"

Umi grinned. "Well, yeah, that was a plus… though I'm not too sure about half the clothes she packed for me, but never mind that. But… if there's all this fuss about gems, what about this one?" She raised her gloved hand, and an eyebrow.

"_You_ get special licence on such things, to carry items such as weapons, as you're holding the position of bodyguard."

"Makes sense." She smiled, slightly, glancing down at the softly shining deep blue gem, resting on the back of her hand. "Not that I've only got my sword and armour in there, of course… I really love these things! You can carry absolutely anything in them, and it never gets any heavier!"

Clef returned the smile, curious about what else could be in the gemstone, but not asking… he was sure he'd find out, eventually, if she wanted him to. If she didn't, he wouldn't invade her privacy by asking… they were staying in the same _room_ for two weeks, they were probably going to be invading each others space on a regular basis! No need to start off by doing it any more than was strictly necessary. Not that he was thinking at all about their having to share a room… he was concentrating hard on NOT thinking about their having to share a room.

He hadn't had to share a room with anyone in… oh, at least a hundred years! And never with a _female_!

Still… when you have to, you learn to cope with these things. They would cope. They had to.

There was a slight shuddering through the floor, and both of them looked up as the voice of their unseen Captain came through the speaker grill next to the clock, above the door. "We are now making our descent to Dleivus. Please sit down and attach your safety harnesses, we should be on the ground within ten minutes. I hope it was an agreeable journey for you!"

Sure enough, just over five minutes later there was a louder rumbling in the floor and the walls as the jets bounced off the ground below them, then a slight thud, and a rattle, and they were down. The engines cut out, and they unbuckled themselves from the chairs, just as the door to the cabin opened, and a man neither of them knew stepped through, dressed in the full uniform of an Autozam fighter pilot. Clef, recognising it, hid his startlement but bowed deeply to him, a gesture that the pilot returned, a smile on his face. Umi looked from one to the other, then grinned and bobbed her head to the pilot.

"Thank you for getting us here safely." She said, saving Clef from having to begin any conversation, as he was currently not sure what the hell to say. A fighter pilot? Umi'd rescued him from the embarrassment… he wasn't sure how she knew he needed rescuing, but was grateful all the same.

"It was no trouble, Lady Magic Knight. There was heavy competition for this ship, once it was learnt who would be riding within it – I'm proud to have the chance to thank you and the Master Mage, personally, for all you have done for our world. Not only beginning to heal the atmosphere, and the planet itself, but for healing Commander Eagle. We would be lost without him, I don't hesitate to admit it to you."

"Thank you." Umi blinked, then smiled and curtseyed to him. "I was proud to know Eagle for the months that he spent on Cephiro. He is an amazing man." The pilot nodded agreement, then Clef spoke up.

"Eagle Vision is an amazing man, and he comes from an amazing country. Autozam has done much to help its neighbours – I can't think of a single country which does not use its machinery. It was an honour to be able to help your land begin its recovery from its sacrifices. If all goes well, your people will be able to live without the protective domes in a little under twenty years."

"That soon?" The pilot was startled. "All the reports I had heard said it would be fifty years, at the least!"

"I recently had another update on the situation – the initial estimate was fifty years, yes, but Autozam is responding much better than could have been hoped to the healing process. Your land is very resilient, you should be proud of her. She cares for you a great deal, and wants nothing more than to be able to look after her peoples and creatures again without support." Both the others stared slightly at Clef as he said this. The mage had closed his eyes, and was glowing, very slightly silvery, with a tiny smile on his face. He opened his eyes, saw their looks, and the smile grew.

"It's true." The pilot breathed, almost reverently. "You _are_ connected to our planet – you spoke with her! And you're still supporting her…"

Clef shrugged this off. "I'm connected very closely to Cephiro through my post as the Master Mage, and Cephiro is nothing if not healthy at the moment. I'm just a conduit between the two sister countries – it's Cephiro who is supporting your land, providing an example of health for Autozam to build towards, work from. The two are more similar than is first apparent, you know."

The pilot bowed, deeply. "It is still a great thing that you are doing for us, and at no small personal risk – and on that note, I bring a message, a warning." Clef straightened, eyes suddenly serious, intent… scarily hard. "At the moment, as of two weeks ago, a certain faction has claimed political power within Autozam – a faction which believes that we no longer need Cephiro's help, that Autozam will continue to heal without it, and that it was wrong to beg for help as it seems to them Eagle has done." The pilot's downcast eyes and harsh voice told all he thought of this idea. "They are more concerned with Autozam's political standing in the wider arena than they are with her health: mainly because it's their own positions on the line. You know how precarious our position is on the table at the moment?"

"I do." Clef said, not liking at all where he thought this was headed.

"They are going to try to hold onto their position by forcing Cephiro out, drawing attention away from our problems. They have deposed Eagle from the military and the political scenes, and Geo Metro has gone with him. They hope to make you interfere, draw you out, so they can denounce you." Umi gasped, and Clef's eyes narrowed. "I bring a message from Eagle himself." The pilot stood up parade ground straight, pride shining in his eyes at being chosen to bring this. "Master Mage, Clef, my friend. Do not concern yourself with Autozam at the moment – plans are in motion, and within the week things should have been righted. Do not let these tricksters draw you out – do _not_ let them bring you down. Autozam needs you, and she needs you and Cephiro to remain strong as is possible. More, I do not want anything to pull you down unfairly. Look after yourself, and we will do the same. Eagle." There was a pause. "He also mentioned that he couldn't contact Lantis or the Fire knight on his own, that he would appreciate it if you would warn them off for him."

"…Tell Eagle that I have received the message, and will do my best to look after the interests of my country, and I wish him good luck in looking after those of his. Also, he need not worry – whatever happens, I will continue the healing of Autozam. I will not cut her off." The pilot's eyes cleared at that, and he nodded again, in thanks. "Tell me… how good a chance does he have of succeeding?"

"The military of Autozam is loyal to Eagle Vision, not some puffed up idiots who care more for their salaries than for their country." The pilot stated, fiercely. "The population is not happy, either. Nor are the older politicians these idiots have overruled. They will not last."

Clef nodded, a counterpart to the fierce smile playing on his own face. Umi kept her own face blank, slightly… unnerved by the severity in Clef's look.

"Now, then… our turn to unload will probably be up soon, I should get back to the cockpit. Considering everything… would you take offence if I suggested that you changed your clothing into something more… dramatic? To make a strong impact? If you need privacy, you could take turns, and the other stand in the cockpit next to me…" He was cut off as Clef raised a hand sharply, muttering something, and the comfortable soft trousers and tunic he had been wearing for travelling morphed into a full set of Cephiran robes: dark blue trousers and a matching long sleeved t-shirt under a dusky grey robe, embroidered in silver on the hems and the wide collar, with flowing sleeves. There was no bulky shoulder decoration, unlike normal, but the whole thing looked… very regal. The guard blinked, but before he had the chance to say anything, Umi was raising her gloved hand and her own outfit morphed, into a new form of her armour.

The long boots remained as always, but the rest of it was new even to Clef. A light blue pleated skirt that stopped at mid-thigh height, black shorts just glimpsed underneath it, and an overskirt of a darker blue trimmed with silver, open at the front. The top half was in layers as well: more of the light blue fabric wrapped loosely around her chest, visible at her sides, as there was a panel of the darker blue covering each her back and her front, held at the top by white shoulder straps, attached to the fabric by a short length of silver chain, once more decorated and edged in silver, but also with a deep blue Gemstone set at the centre of each. The layers were all caught at her waist by another band of white, edged with silver, set with an array of smaller gems. Even her hair band was now of the darker blue, embroidered in silver, and she stood up tall and proud, eyes flashing, and looking every inch like some kind of wild princess. She looked beautiful, and dangerous, as she had meant to.

She also complemented Clef, though only the pilot had the view to see it at the moment. Side by side, they were an image of the strange power and majesty of Cephiro.

The pilot bowed to both of them one last time, deeply reverent, and withdrew to the front of the ship. A moment or so later the engines shuddered to life again, and the transport rolled slowly forwards to what Umi assumed must be the disembarkment zone. They had just enough time for Clef to murmur: "That look suits you, Umi." Before the doors were opening, and a ramp descending in front of them, and Umi had no time to be embarrassed by his comment because Clef was sweeping down the ramp, and she was following him, half a step or so behind as befitted a bodyguard.

End Chapter Four.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: Lateish again this weekend, mainly because I'm on a Naruto kick. I've read over a hundred chapters in a day… which is pretty sad, really, but still. XD''' Of course, now I've realised I have three essays and two presentations scheduled for doing next week, which I could have been doing now… whoops. Next week might be a bit late again? '' at least I'm getting over the virus I had – no more fever! Yay!

Thanks again to everyone who's reading, and especially to those who are reviewing. (Extra especially to DarkHrse. I can't believe I missed all that in my editing! Thank you so much! (Yes, I know I probably shouldn't be doing this, but the reply-to-reviewer thing keeps crashing my comp, and my e-mails hate me at the moment. Sorry!))

Chapter Five: it all comes down to invisible ninjas.

There was a crowd ready to greet them at the bottom of the ramp: Kuregu and a welcoming group, as well as a large number of Representatives who'd arrived earlier but were being curious, or waiting for others they knew. The last of the translocation arrivals had all got there a few hours ago, there were only the transports still arriving now, a long stream of them descending from the dark evening sky and setting down on the array of landing stations, waiting for their turn to unload. The Reps had been chattering gently amongst themselves; as Clef and Umi appeared on the ramp, there was a sudden hush, as people turned to stare.

From above them, Clef and Umi could see the ripple of whispers flowing out amongst the crowd, and imagine what was being said: 'look, it's Cephiro! The Master Mage, and that girl with him? That's one of the legendary Magic Knights, a girl from beyond the stars!' (Possibly even 'Hey, that guy owes me three fish and a pen!' But Umi was fairly certain that was just her imagination getting carried away with itself.)

Clef smirked at the fuss their appearance was making, turning his head slightly to mutter to Umi: "don't you feel important with them all bug-eyed like that?" And she grinned back at him, mischievously, before they were stepping off the ramp. The looks passed between them were setting off another round of gossip: which had probably been Clef's idea in the first place.

They walked straight along the carpeted path and stopped in front of Kuregu. Clef bowed gracefully, respectful, but not as deep as he had to the pilot earlier. Umi, mindful that she was meant to be keeping her eye on the people around her, simply nodded her head to him briefly, remaining behind Clef, casually scanning the crowd.

She and Clef certainly stood out, but not because of the 'official' nature of their outfits: there were enough people here wearing what looked like their finest clothing, trying to impress people, even if a good proportion of the rest were wearing what Umi would call 'floppy travelling clothes' for comfort on the journey. It was more… the _style_ of the clothing. Cephiro's outfits seemed to be different from anything else there. The way Clef was carrying himself helped, too: he was standing out by his very aura, projecting his presence out around himself, demanding respect. As far as Umi knew, he wasn't even using magic to do it… her eyes kept being drawn back to watch him as he exchanged pleasantries with Kuregu, then he turned slightly towards her and she stepped forwards, realising he meant to introduce her to their imposing host, possibly the most important man in the Universe.

In person, Kuregu was even more of an intimidating figure, being well over six foot tall. Clef only stood as high as his shoulder, and so had subtly stood back far enough he didn't have to really look 'up' to meet Kuregu's eyes. As Umi stepped up beside him he noticed Kuregu's expression alter subtly and reached out to take her hand, without thinking about it, drawing her closer to him protectively, proudly. "And I have the honour to present the Lady Ryuuzaki Umi, of Earth, Magic Knight of Water." She bowed slightly again, as Kuregu nodded back in acknowledgement and greeting, his eyes lingering on Umi just a little too long. She straightened quickly, eyes flashing, and flicked her hair back over one shoulder. Kuregu nodded again, deeper, seemingly impressed by this beautiful creature who showed no sign of being intimidated by him or this chaotic situation.

"I welcome you to Dleivus, Lady Umi." He purred. Umi had known this man less than a minute, and already wanted to attack him. Or maybe just yell 'lech!' in his face, and punch him. Still, she smiled back, very carefully.

"Thank you, Representative Kuregu." She replied, neglecting the 'honourable' title deliberately. Where his use of her name had sounded intimate, she made it sound subtly disrespectful, and again the respect in his eyes deepened.

"You have indeed found a worthy companion to aid you at the Conference, Representative Clef." He said, smiling. "I hope she will have no need to act in your defence, but I have no doubt she is worthy of the position as your… ah… _body_guard here."

Clef's eyes narrowed, just slightly, for the shortest of moments possible, but a new transport was drawing up behind them, and they had every excuse to leave Kuregu and get far, far away. "She is absolutely capable at her job, yes. I see we must not hold things up any more – we will go sign in, and see you at the meal this evening, I assume?"

"Yes, I will see you both again there." Another round of nodding to each other respectfully, then Clef swept away again through the crowd, Umi's arm still absently linked with his. A couple of the representatives nodded in greeting and he acknowledged them, but didn't stop to talk; there would be more than enough talk in the next couple of weeks. No need to start too quickly. The crowd parted for them to move through, and they walked straight into the large white marble building that formed the 'welcoming station' for the talks.

Clef realised he was holding onto Umi, and disentangled himself gently, meeting her amused eyes with a slight blush. He shook his head before she could ask anything. "Are you thirsty at all? There's a refreshments hall if you want something to eat or drink. Or there are different lounges for people to wait in… we have to go and check our transportation time, though. We all get put onto a new transport, one group to each, and sent off to the Venue. It'll take two hours, the next part, no matter where the place is – they even translocate entire transports if it's far off, or circle if it isn't, so no one can work out where the Venue might be."

"I'm fine, for the moment. Let's just check in first, then find somewhere where there aren't random groups of people staring at us?" They were speaking in low tones because, as Umi said, a lot of people walking through the corridor _were_ staring at them. Clef looked at her carefully as she said that, surprised. She didn't _look_ as if she was at all bothered by it…

"Of course." He turned and began walking again, and she dropped back to shadow him, looking around curiously. The building was obviously designed to be intimidating, or at least very… impressive to guests. The walls were of something very like white marble on the inside as well as the facade, and the floor of a dark grey, almost black stone to match. A rich deep blue carpet lay down the centre of the floor, presumably so people didn't slip, and intricately woven wall hangings of seemingly random designs in various blue and grey hues hug on the walls every so often, interspersed with high, narrow windows which showed the deep indigo of the sky outside, a few stars beginning to show.

It all looked very nice and elegant, but the main impression it gave Umi was of coldness. The hallways in the Cephiran castle might be long, tall and narrow, but a lot of them had large windows along one side, and all were made of a creamier toned stone. Where there were tapestries or paintings, they were brightly coloured things, often showing landscapes, or depicting legends: there was one back corridor not many people used which had a large tapestry showing the legend of the Magic Knights.

Clef led her down what seemed like an endless line of identical corridors, and Umi realised she was completely lost in here. It was a good thing, then, that Clef seemed to know exactly where they were going. She wondered briefly what the representatives did the first time they came here. There didn't seem to be any signs directing people, or guides to help those who were lost… probably part of the whole intimidating thing they had going on, she guessed. If you needed to ask, then you shouldn't be here, or something like that.

It would have been easier just to have the reception hall and check in by the entrance, wouldn't it? But, no: it was hidden in the middle of the building. A large, cold, echoing hall lined with deep alcoves, in each of which waited a 'secretary' with a data terminal. Umi thought about Clef's warning, and shivered. They were hardly being _subtle_ about it!

Clef led her towards one of the alcoves without a Representative and nodded to the man inside.

"The honoured representative Master Mage Clef of Cephiro?" the man asked, in a soft, lyrical voice that Umi was willing to bet he'd spent years developing. The man had a name tag, but she couldn't read the script on it – another thing she supposed she'd have to ask Clef to teach her. He was good looking, with soft looking silvery hair and almost luminously pale skin; he was also looking at Clef far too intently, and had dismissed her with a single glance. Umi didn't like him.

"Yes, and my companion, the Lady Ryuuzaki Umi, Magic Knight of Water, Donner of the Rune God Selece." Clef replied, and Umi almost smirked. She could tell this whole using-titles thing was going to get old very quickly, but this time she really wasn't complaining.

The man looked at her properly now, a considering light in his eyes, and Umi belatedly realised Clef had also replaced 'bodyguard' with 'companion'. Ah. Well, all in a good cause…

"You wish to check in and receive your departure times?" Clef gave the man a look which said, all too clearly, 'why the hell else would we be in here with you?' It seemed to fluster the secretary – he glanced away, concentrating on the crystal screen set into the wall beside his chair. "Here we are: Cephiro party of two, departure time is ten past eight tonight. That's in a little over an hour, from zone one, out the front, where you disembarked." Neither asked him how he knew they had come in a transport. They didn't even blink at it: the man looked vaguely put out. "Your arrival has been documented, and…" he taped the screen a few more times… "Your luggage has been retrieved from your transport and is being sent on to the Venue. It will be in your room when you arrive. Do you require anything else?"

"No thank you." Clef said brusquely and walked out, Umi following him.

She walked closer as they crossed the hall, weaving through the other scattered representatives, to murmur to him: "I'd completely forgotten about our luggage. It's a good thing we didn't need to bring it, I'd have left everything in the transport!"

Clef's grin was just about visible from this angle. "It's hard to greet people in a dignified manner if you're lugging a heavy case down the ramp: besides, a lot of the representatives would struggle to carry all of their luggage. I could just float all of ours, but most don't have that ability."

"Heh. Well, at least that proves you're good for SOMETHING." She grinned, dropping back two paces again. Clef rolled his eyes. That was probably her approval for putting the secretary down… hard and fast was the only way to be certain, with them.

They wandered back out into the halls, and Clef thought for a few moments about the layout of this place, determined not to get lost in here again. He had to slow down slightly to give himself time before they got the next split in the corridor – and remembered, just, the way to the room he wanted.

Three staircases, four corridors and a sloped hallway later, he opened the door and let Umi walk into the small observation room in front of him. As he'd hoped, it was completely free of other people – he'd only found it the first time by accident, when he'd been meandering around, completely lost. It was a nice room, though, as far as rooms in this place went; not as tall as most of them, with deep purple tapestries on the two plain walls… and the other given entirely over to a huge window looking out over the arrival area. From here they could see the huge expanse of darkening sky – odd, as it still felt like midday to their bodies, but a beautiful sight none the less. The array of silhouettes and blinking lights stretching into the stars showed the transports yet to land, outlandish shapes slipping through the dark spaces in the sky. Below them, they could see the welcoming committee still gathered around the landing zone, and Umi wondered how many of them were simply waiting there because they didn't know the way to the signing in area.

They watched the transports landing, for a while, in a comfortable silence – it was one thing talking about 'going to the Conference of Nations', it was another thing altogether to be faced with the reality, with all these different people, all of them speaking in their own language. (As Umi now realised they were, and thanked Mokona for the gift of languages he'd apparently left with her here, if not at home where it would have been very useful for her last English test.) Clef was giving Umi a respectful distance to adjust within, a pause to regain her bearings. Also, if he was being truthful, he felt thrown by this whole thing as well. Not just having someone with him, but having _Umi_ with him… and the way it was affecting his reactions.

If he wasn't careful, Clef was beginning to seriously worry about his ability to remain calm and get through the next two weeks without getting so… _protective_ that he blew everything they were working for and attacked someone for their disrespect towards Umi.

Which was ridiculous, in a word. Umi could take care of herself and her honour. He _knew _she could, hell, the girl was probably far more capable of it than he was! She could beat him in a fight, hands down, any day of the week. Physical or verbal. He could hold his own in a straight magic fight – but would be lost as soon as she drew her sword, really. Clef had a more-than-usual respect for her skills, and for her self… oddly, though, it had never managed to become a barrier or to come between them. In fact, not even the worst of their arguments had threatened their friendship, not since the night Umi had apologised for everything, and done some serious damage to his defences in the process.

Perhaps that was why she, too, was only too happy to stand here, gazing out of the window in silence. It was comfortable, being together, watching the rest of the world fuss about like tiny ants.

Eventually, however, Clef checked the clock on the wall behind them, and sighed deeply.

"Time to go face the rabble again?" Umi asked, turning as well.

Clef smiled a little at her. "Yep. Time to face the rabble. Why did we even agree to come here?"

"Because you love Cephiro too much, and Ferio's paying us both large sums of money to do so. Come on, the sooner we get there the sooner it's over, right? All this travelling is wearing me out – I can't wait until we get to go to sleep."

"Well, we've got another two hours of being stuck in a windowless transport first." They were walking swiftly through the corridors, and Umi had to move closer to hear Clef's voice, pitched low to avoid being overheard.

"Don't remind me, please?"

"Sorry. You could always fall asleep, I guess…"

"Like that'll help my sleep patterns any… we're going to be messed up enough as it is, without napping in possibly the middle of the day."

"Still, you'll adjust better if you've had too much sleep instead of too little… it may be the early hours of the morning…"

"I hope not!" Then they were outside, and thankfully the majority of the onlookers had dispersed, including Kuregu, after the last of the incoming flights. Theirs must have been one of the first outgoing ones, there were very few people here at all as they wandered over towards the ramp.

An aide stood at the end of it moved towards them, holding a large scroll of printout in one hand, a pen in the other, and a seriously worried expression. "_Please_ tell me you're the party from Dienchya?" He babbled, and looked as if he was about to cry when Clef shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry. We're Cephiro – party of two – for ten past eight."

"Well, at least you're here in plenty of time…" he said, sighing in a kind of panicked disappointment. He rustled the scroll and looked down at it, tracing along tiny lines of computer script, and Umi watched him, fascinated, trying not to laugh. The poor guy was tiny – he only came up to her shoulder, and had long, straggly reddish-brown hair which might at one point have been neatly restrained into a ponytail – now there were parts escaping all over the place, randomly surrounding his face, and he had what appeared to be three more pens and a ruler shoved into it at various angles. His uniform matched all the others they'd seen so far, but where theirs had been neatly ironed and trim with crisp folds, his was just a little battered, the seams out of line with each other, one sleeve twisted around, and the cuffs stained with random blotches of ink.

He looked human, in a way none of the others had, and Umi wondered briefly why he was doing this very visible job, then how he put up with working with the rest of the people here. He was muttering to himself;

"Well, these are next, as long as the Dienchya show up within the next five minutes… how do these people get so lost within the halls? It's very disturbing… I keep recommending we put signs up, but does anybody listen? No, never, and every year it's the same mess…"

"If we have to, we could go first, and they could take our transport?" Umi offered, then quailed at the look she got from him.

"If things are bad enough that we have to use such cheats as that," he said, sternly, "then something must be wrong indeed with the system. Pray it doesn't come to such a thing!"

"Ah… could that be the party you need?" Clef said, hiding a small smile and pointing out a group of obviously flustered men half jogging towards them.

"Yes! Oh, thank you!"

And he was off, dashing towards the new party, and urging them on into the waiting transport in double quick time. Umi and Clef very carefully didn't look at each other, and managed to keep a straight face even when he thankfully ushered them on board their own transport, one smaller than the one they'd arrived in and coloured red this time. As soon as the door shut, however, they took one look at each other's faces and burst out into howls of laughter.

"Well… he was certainly… different to the rest!" Clef gasped out, hauling himself into a chair as they felt the engines thrumming to life beneath them.

"That's… _one_ way of putting it!" moaned Umi, still in a ball on the floor. A voice came over the speaker then, half masked by the roaring of the engines as they gathered power.

"If you would get ready for take-off, please, 'cause we're going up soon!"

Umi let Clef grab her hand and drag her into one of the seats next to him, still shaking with quiet laughter, and strapped herself in. It wasn't until the transport was up in the air and making much less noise that she wondered about their pilot. He'd sounded young… even without the language he'd used, his voice had sounded young. But also… familiar?

She was about to ask Clef when the door to the cockpit slid back, and Zazu Torque waved back at them from his place in the pilot's seat.

"Zazu? What are you doing here… oh, wow, look at that view!" She was distracted by the huge view port covering almost the entire wall in front of Zazu, curving up to the ceiling. She slipped out of her chair and walked over to get a better look – it was just like she'd imagined seeing the earth from space must be like… only the planet disappearing beneath them was a different shade of blue, and the sky ahead of them was… more beautiful than she could have imagined. It was better by far than the view from Selece… this was deeper into space, completely out of any atmosphere. And she was awestruck.

"Zazu Torque, right? The mechanic for Eagle Vision's ship, the NSX?" Clef had come forwards as well, and was looking down at the young man in the pilot's seat with an expression hovering between curious and stern. Zazu's huge grin never slipped.

"Yep, that's me – currently also a part-time pilot, when the military needs extras. I just passed the exams last year!"

"What are you doing here? No, more than that – what are you doing letting us _know_ you're here?"

"Well, for one, checking Eagle's message got through – he and Geo don't know I'm here, don't blame them. I won't get into trouble for it – they all think I'm too young to be involved in all this political mess. So, the dude talked to you?"

"Yes, we heard the message, and sent one back."

"Good. I'm also here because it pays well, this ferrying job. But mainly because Eagle's going to need someone he trusts to pilot him to the Venue sometime soon, and it's better if it's me than one of the other guys, who's only a pilot, and might loose his job and his living in betraying the location." Zazu's face was serious for a long moment, looking up at Clef, then the grin forced its way back out. "And, hey, I let you know I was here because I trust you guys! You won't tell, and it's so boring to sit up here all on my own… it must be worse back in the hall, with nothing to see either."

"You mean I can stay up here? With a _window_?" Umi looked about ready to kiss Zazu when he nodded, throwing herself into the empty co-pilot's chair. Clef laughed.

"Well, I guess that's alright then… Umi, as you're deserting me, I'm going to get back and catch up on some sleep."

"We'll wake you up about ten minutes before landing." Zazu told him, turning back to the controls. Umi, staring happily out at the sky, didn't appear to have heard him, and he stifled another laugh before walking back and stretching out on one of the rows of chairs. The quiet, intermittent chatter floating back from the cockpit washed over him, the rumbling of the engines below soothed him, and he was soon deeply asleep.

As promised, Zazu sent Umi back to wake him around ten minutes before they began their descent to the Venue – early enough that Umi didn't get to see the Venue from the air, or even the planet it was on, as Zazu was well aware that though _Umi_ might not be able to place it, give Clef enough information and he would almost certainly would. Clef woke to Umi shaking his shoulder, slightly disorientated, and yawning as he strapped himself in to his seat. Umi was smiling happily next to him, and Zazu had shut the door, going back to being the 'unknown pilot', as he'd termed it, not giving them an unfair advantage by letting them know where the Venue was.

They might be his friends, but Zazu Torque was oddly professional on some things.

They landed with a very slight bump – it seemed Zazu was almost as good at piloting as he was at engineering, to Clef's relief. A few minutes later, Zazu's disembodied voice from the speaker grille was wishing them good luck at the summit, and the doors were opening before them, out into the venue.

Umi had to stop at the top of the ramp and stare for a moment, Clef pausing beside her. It was… like a huge, huge hotel, one of those built for companies to take over for a week or so at a time… which made sense, really, as it was for basically the same purpose. But on such a huge _scale_…!

The hotel in front of them was built of warm red brick, a great mass of a building, with carved pale stone around all the windows and doors, and darker tiles on the roof. It looked as if it must be a huge open square, with a courtyard on the inside, but it was far too tall for Umi to be certain… five stories, at least. Before it, stretching out to the paved landing zone, was a huge courtyard, with a large fountain playing in the centre and lawn stretching out into the horizon in every direction. There was literally nothing else in sight but the hotel complex – because it wasn't just one building, there were two or three others on the same scale visible behind it, built of the same brick-and-stone mixture, with a mass of other, simpler little brick buildings, some of which looked like cafes.

It was… amazing, and huge, and Umi couldn't quite believe she wasn't seeing things. Clef next to her smiled slightly, knowing how he'd felt the first time he'd seen one of the venues. The first thing he tended to notice now the scale wasn't so amazing was the isolation of each. Not only were there never any other buildings in sight; there were no roads, either. No paths, no trees, no hills… nothing but flat, featureless land for miles and miles. You could probably see people clearly for a good fifty miles from the top floors.

He reached out and took Umi's hand, gently, to begin leading her down the ramp. She'd pulled herself together and dropped a pace or two back by the time they reached the bottom, walking over to the waiting staff members, one of whom was carrying a huge scroll of paper much like the poor man back on Dleivus had been doing, but this man was tall and thin, with short pale hair and a long pale face, and an incredibly tidy appearance.

"The Cephiran party?" He enquired, his accent as trim as his looks, and both of them nodded.

"Yes. I am the Master Mage, Clef, and this is my bodyguard, the Water Knight, Ryuuzaki Umi."

"Very well. If you will follow James, he will show you to your suite. I hope you have everything you require for your stay, if not, feel free to call reception and we will do our best to aid you in every way possible." He said in flatly, as if he had said the entire speech a hundred times already, and was going to have to repeat it several hundred more times before the day was out. They followed the young man he had indicated through the double doors, and into the coolness of the Venue.

Their guide, it turned out, was much happier to see them than the doorman. He chatted to them freely as they walked through the building, along a new set of endless corridors, through the green courtyard Umi had imagined it had to have, down more corridors and out the back, as 'James' explained their room was in the 'mirror building', one of the other huge buildings out back, an exact mirror image of the first building except that in place of the great dining hall, it had a great Ballroom, where the balls were to be held every Friday night. He pointed out the building on the left which was the great Conference Hall, where the talks themselves would be held, and showed them which of the little buildings were restaurants, which were shops, and which were sports halls.

Then, seeing the glazed looks on their faces, he laughed and told them that each room had at least two maps of the venue, one in each desk and bedside cabinet.

"You were lucky to get this room, you know." He remarked, after leading them up to the fifth floor and while he tried to find the right key on the huge chain of them he bore. "It was literally the last twin room left – I remember, because one of the Representatives from the Aquitaine countries realised te next day he needed room for one more aide, and he kicked up ever such a large fuss when he couldn't switch one of the singles he had to a twin – the cheapskate didn't want to pay for two singles for his underlings. It was the last single we had anyway. There are only doubles left anywhere now, unless someone switches while we're all here… now, then. Is this the right luggage?"

They nodded mutely at him, staring around the large room he'd unlocked for them. They walked into a large open living area, with a sofa and two comfy looking armchairs as well as two large desks. Then there was a step, splitting the room, and a large 'bedroom' area with the two single beds, well spaced out, each with its own bedside cabinet, wardrobe, chest of drawers and suitcase sat at the end of it. A doorway stood open on the left, leading to the bathroom, and on the right was a huge window looking out over the courtyard.

"Well, here's your key, and I hope you'll have a good time staying with us. The evening meal will be served in the main hall in just over an hour – the smaller food outlets aren't open today, but they will be from tomorrow, and will deliver to your rooms if you wish." With that, he bowed himself out of the room and shut the door, presumably going off to collect his next lot of guests.

"…Well," said Clef, looking around. "He was… very cheerful."

"Um. Energetic?"

"Far _too_ energetic when you've been travelling for a day and a half already?"

"…Yes, that about covers it." She grinned at him, then gestured around them. "It's a great room, but I doubt I'll ever manage to find it again!"

He laughed, flopping down into one of the chairs, and tossed her the key. "Well, he did say there were maps… here. If you keep the key in your glove we've got a better chance of not loosing it." She caught it, and it disappeared in a flash of blue, before she smirked in his direction.

"What, finally admitting you're getting absentminded in your old age?"

Clef ignored the needling. "You can look around, or check the bathroom for invisible ninjas, or whatever. I'm going to sit here and pretend I'm unpacking."

"Right. I'll look for those invisible ninjas then." She grinned, and wandered off into the bathroom. Clef closed his eyes and relaxed into the soft cushions, his mouth twitching into a smile every so often as her voice floated back to him – her exclamation "Hey, cool! There's actually a shower, not just a bath in here!" had him quietly laughing for a while, as did her apparent astonishment with the large size of the towels.

Eventually, she came back out. "I have discovered no ninjas in the bathroom, I'll check the drawers now. How's the unpacking going?" Laughter bubbled up in her voice. The rush of a whole new _place,_ a whole new _experience_ obviously overriding any tiredness or jetlag at the moment. "Isn't it odd to see the sun setting again? Twice in one day… that just sounds so weird…"

Clef stirred slightly, preparing to answer her… then let his eyes slide shut again, sinking back into the cushions heavily. He couldn't find the energy to bother. His body felt weighed down, wrapped in a deep lethargy… and he didn't know what he would have said, anyway. Except that seeing two sunsets in one day was weird, even if they were different. The one before had been a deep band of red on the horizon fading out slowly through indigo to the dark, not-black shade of the night sky, and the sunset he had glimpsed here, when his eyes creaked open, was a riot of manic shades of gold and pink, slashed into an azure blue sky which shaded all the way to midnight higher up. They felt so different he couldn't mistake it for two sunsets in the same place, but, _still…_

"Clef?" Umi's voice was quieter, and he opened his eyes blearily to see her leant over him.

"Muhumuh?" he slurred, blinking slowly, eyelids feeling more like leaden weights each time he had to force them open.

"Are you alright? It's not like you to be so… unenergetic." The word she didn't use, the one which lay nagging in her mind, was 'still'. "Even when you're tired, you're still usually all… lively."

"I run on adrenaline." He quipped, giving up on keeping his eyes open at last. "Guess I ran out."

"Clef."

She wasn't going to leave him be, so he reluctantly pushed himself more upright in the chair, and peeled his eyes open once more.

"I'm _tired,_ and the next two weeks stuck with Kuregu and the rest aren't exactly the _nicest_ of prospects. Then there's the whole changing-planets thing. Two sunsets in a day is just… unnatural, and neither of them were Cephiro's… I'm tied closer to our world than most people, or mages, and it takes some adjusting to… this distance. That's all, really. I'll be fine in a day or so, once my body has caught up with its surroundings."

Umi's eyes were dark, unreadable, watching him. "You miss her, don't you." She whispered softly. "You miss Cephiro."

"I… yes." He turned away from those eyes, staring at nothing.

"You really are tied to the land… no one's really sure if you are or not, you know."

"Well, I always was – it just got deeper with the job. Most mages are, one way or another." He hesitated, then yielded, knowing Umi was still watching him intently. "I can still feel her… but she's so far, she feels so _small…_ it can be disorientating for a while."

He waited silently, and heard Umi sigh, and let him leave things at that. "Well, then," she said, forcibly bright. "Do you feel up to making the room ninja-proof now, or do we wait until after they feed us?"

"Anything to keep you having to check behind the curtains for those invisible ninjas, I guess." He muttered, summoning the energy and rolling himself out of the chair in an utterly graceless manner. Normally he would have cast a warding spell from where he sat, but he was too tired to be certain of it working today, especially in an unfamiliar room.

Fascinated, Umi watched as Clef wandered to the door and rested one hand against it beginning to reach inside himself, to the brightness that was the coil of magic in his core, his soul. He coaxed a few strands of it to his hands wordlessly, and the power wrapped around it in the form of tiny darts of lightning, swirling about and setting shadows dancing on the walls of the gradually dimming room.

Keeping that hand on the wall he slowly walked round the room, fingers brushing against the smooth plaster and leaving a trail of tiny blue-white sparks behind, glowing on the wall like afterimages. Umi rubbed her eyes hard to clear them of the dancing lights, but they were still there when she opened them again, and Clef had followed his hand on the wall through the doorway and into the bathroom, steps even and slow.

When he finished his circuit of the suite, Clef drew his hand across the places it had first touched the wall, and Umi stared as the tiny sparks began to glow and spread out along the walls, stretching, covering them, and then creeping over the floor and the ceiling too. She lifted her feet as it reached her, slightly surprised it didn't feel warm through her boots when she had to stand on the glow.

Clef hand still on the wall, waited until the entire area was covered, then closed his eyes in concentration, reaching out to the magic with which he'd literally coated the walls. It stirred at the touch of his mind, curious, and yet still a part of him.

_Be like THIS,_ he told it, thinking of the ward he needed, wanted, to protect them and their space here.

There was a brief flare of bright silvery light that had Umi shielding her eyes, then the wards faded into the walls, invisible, fully formed.

For a moment the room was dark and quiet as their eyes adjusted back to the deepening gloom, then Umi spoke. "Aren't you meant to use a… a spell to make a ward? You didn't say anything."

She sounded genuinely curious, and Clef wandered back to flop into his chair again, near her. "Well, for larger areas or more specific wards, yes – or if more than one person is casting it. Or it's meant to be permanent. This way is less efficient, more personal, and tends to be more… erratic? But I know my magic well enough to mould it without being that specific, and we aren't going to be here all that long." He sighed, then had to fight off a deep yawn. "How long do we have until they serve food?"

"I have no idea." Umi waved a hand, which he sensed more than saw. "If you people would use a decent clock with hands rather than these symbolly… _digital_ things…!"

_De-gee-talu?_ He shrugged and left it, turning to glare at the clock above the door to the bathroom, as if it was personally responsible for all his exhaustion.

The clock seemed unaffected by his animosity.

"I _will_ teach you to read them in the next couple of days, we have about quarter of an hour before we need to leave. I suggest falling asleep for ten minutes, then finding one of those maps."

"You do that." She turned to her suitcase, leaving him to drowse in the armchair, and was mostly unpacked by the time they had to leave the room, blinking in the bright lights of the corridor – Clef hadn't been awake enough to find the light switches when it got dark, and Umi hadn't wanted to turn the lights on if it would bother him.

Finding their way to the Dining Hall was far less traumatic than it might have been. It mainly involved following the large crowds of lost-looking people, half of them carrying the little gemstones which lit up when held in a hand, displaying a neat little three dimensional map in midair, which could be enlarged or moved by poking it with the fingers of the free hand.

When they got to the hall, there were even staff on hand to guide each party to their seats at the long, crockery-and-food laden tables, so not even that was an issue. Kuregu was sat near them, but not close enough that they had to talk to him, thank Mokona for small mercies. Umi, with a start, recognised three other faces in the babble – Tatra was there, though Tarta was nowhere to be seen, and slightly further along were the Old One and Sung Yung, obviously representing Fahren.

Beyond exchanging a smile with Tatra, Umi didn't take much else in at that meal, flagging as the high she'd been riding began turning into more of a crash, and Clef was even worse off. The food was savoury and hot, the Hall was lit by bright chandeliers high up on the ceiling, and the rest of it was all a blur of chattering voices and smudged images of the crowds.

They made their way back to the room somehow and stumbled through the door, each finding a set of pyjamas from their clothes, and taking turns to change and get ready for bed in the bathroom before tumbling into their respective beds. Umi was just awake enough to wonder where her energy had vanished to before she was asleep, and any discomfort at sharing a room with each other was buried under the need to curl up and sleep, oblivion taking them far away from strange hotels and shared rooms for a long time.

End Chapter Five.

(Yes, Clef was in a Transport again but not ill in the same way – someone he trusted was driving it, so he managed to fall asleep. XD)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: I'm sorry, people! Last week was EVIL, and I didn't have time to get this finished and up at all – I owe you a chapter, now. I'll try to catch up sometime this week, but then this was meant to be up on Thursday at the VERY latest, and you can see how well that turned out. This chapter is, well, long. There are bits I really like of it, but at the same time there's something about it overall that I really don't like – and it WOULD have been up yesterday, but ffn wasn't letting me log in and upload.

I just hope I haven't written 'oo' instead of 'o' anywhere this time. DX I seem to miss that in my editing EVERY TIME. Ooops! This chapter also hints, briefly, at why Umi's getting paid for this, but doesn't explain it fully (yes, there are reasons. XD) It's to do with making the contract official and giving her an excuse for the council on Cephiro and the Reps, making her position firmer. Also, I keep basing things on a medieval model, and this fits. XD;;;

Also, I know Clef kinda… fluctuates? A bit in this chapter, and it may well seem kinda ooc – but that's mainly him reacting to the distance-from-Cephiro thing. It's something like mild anemia + withdrawal (+ depression?) all very slight but mixing together with a deep tiredness, so, ah, yeah. I have my reasons! (at the end it's all mixed up with a defensive reaction. XD He isn't used to feeling like that…)

Um, yes. Enjoy the chapter, and come visit my lj and devart account! (New! Shiny! XD) My desktop background is up on devart – you can see my excuse for a cover for this. The links are in my profile. And now I'll stop rambling, this is long enough as it is. XD;;;

Chapter six: duvet monster

Umi woke up groggily the next morning, roused by a wide beam of sunlight slashing across her face, and rolled out of bed to yank the curtains completely shut and plunge the room into a semi-darkness, then almost _jumped_ back into her bed – the air was _cold _this morning!

Unfortunately for her, the chill had managed to shock her into waking up enough she couldn't fall straight back to sleep again. Instead, she lay there, eyes closed, thinking. _huh? Isn't the window on the other side of my bed? I mean, even in Cephiro... where the hell AM I?_

That was when the memory of the past few days returned, and she bolted upright in the bed, staring around.

The hotel, of course – she was in the hotel, for the conference, because there could be no other reason for her glimpsing a tousled mess of lavender hair on the pillow of the other bed, where Clef seemed to have cocooned himself completely in the duvet, pulling it up even over most of his head.

Giggling, she lay there for a few minutes, just staring at the very little she could see of him. It was… surreal, to be waking up here, seeing Clef like that. Sure, she'd been in his room in Cephiro before – he'd even been in bed once, but that had been because he'd overextended himself and made himself ill, more than anything else. (He'd been sat in bed, incredibly grumpy, and she'd brought him a random book she'd had with her to keep him occupied – of course, he couldn't read hiragana, let alone kanji, and so she'd had to stay and read it to him. It had been one of her old children's books, collections of fairytales, and he'd spent the entire time butting in and picking holes in the plots, such as they were… he'd forgotten his frustration completely by the end of it, as Umi's fondness for the stories drew him into them as well, and she began telling the stories as she knew them, not as on the page. That was one of her favourite memories of Cephiro, actually…) She'd never seen him actually _asleep_ before.

Not that she really could now, but, still.

Today was the first day of the talks, and Umi wasn't feeling all that great about the prospect of listening to a whole bunch of Kuregus rattling on at each other all day, but she could hardly back out now. Even if she had the option she wouldn't, she admitted to herself. Clef needed someone here… what she'd seen in the gardens was enough to convince her of that. Even if he believed what he'd said about being safe, _she _didn't trust that for a minute.

Still, the room was cold but her bed was gloriously warm, and her body was being pressed gently into the mattress by the comforting weight of her duvet… Umi began to drift back towards sleep, eyes drifting shut, still laying so she could see Clef when she looked. The drowsy restfulness of the moments in bed before you have to get up was seeping through her body, and she had no inclination to fight it.

Of course, the clock on Clef's bedside table began beeping insistently at them just before she actually fell asleep again, but that was simply typical.

She pulled herself upright against the headboard, pulling the duvet up with her, and glared at the bleeping clock. Then had to stop glaring to blink and stare.

Clef had stirred, just a little, and appeared to be trying to hit the clock while still cocooned in the quilt, which was making his bed look as if it ad a linen, blob-like _monster_ on top of it, reaching out blindly. Umi bit her lip hard to keep from giggling. He succeeded in hitting the clock after a few moments – it made an odd fizzling sound, and stopped glowing as Umi watched it, now, nervously. Had it just _sparked…?_

A muffled thud snatched her attention away from it. In the process of disabling (and possibly destroying) the alarm clock, Clef had also tipped himself out of bed, and yet managed somehow to keep the duvet snugly around him: the linen-monster was now huddled on the floor, not moving very much.

Concerned, Umi slipped out of her bed and padded across the carpet barefoot, belatedly remembering she should have packed a pair of slippers, and probably a dressing gown, too. She had slept in an oversized black t-shirt and matching black trousers (tied tightly around her waist so they didn't fall down,) which were doing noting to keep her warm.

She knelt next to the heap of bed linen. "Clef? Are you okay?"

A muffled sentence which sounded something like: "geh mun nan ga deh" was all she got for her trouble and the pile curled up tighter, even the last of Clef's hair disappearing into it. He certainly didn't sound hurt, if a bit incoherent, and Umi sat back with a relieved sigh and waited for him to sit up.

Several minutes later she poked the duvet monster as it lay there, breathing softly, but otherwise still.

"…Clef, are you _asleep_?"

His voice was just audible, if muffled, this time. "G'way."

"Clef, the alarm on the clock went off. I think that means we're meant to get up for breakfast."

"M'tired." The monster seemed to settle further into itself. Umi poked it again, harder.

"Clef, get up."

"Noo… sleepin'."

"We need to have breakfast, then get to these talks – you need to get _dressed!_ Get up!"

"Need t'sleep…"

"That's it, I'm stealing the duvet." She grabbed the material and _tugged_, but Clef fought back, until she yanked the thing even harder and it shot out of his grasp… dumping Umi over backwards onto the floor, with the duvet piled on her head, and a half asleep Clef slumped across her legs. She shoved the duvet aside, and _glared_.

The sight of a sleep-mussed Clef, eyes dark and heavy, hair ruffled, clad only in soft grey trousers and a rumpled blue t-shirt cut her glare off before it managed to get very far. How could she be angry with him? He looked so… so _adorable_ in that moment, _cute_, and at the same time there was something eerily wrong with the scene.

Clef was _always_ up early, despite the fact he was often still up in the middle of the night when insomnia struck Umi. He was downstairs before anyone else, dressed, neat, coherent… not wandering around in a sleepy daze!

"Clef… are you alright? You aren't ill or anything, are you? Please don't say you're ill! It would be _really_ bad timing, besides, you'd probably have infected me by now, too, if you are…"

"M'not ill." He grumbled, still flopped across her legs. "Jus' tired. Travelin' n' stuff. Can I have my covers back?"

"No! _You,_ are going to get _dressed_, and then we're going to breakfast." Umi stated firmly, somewhat relieved by his answer – he'd told her last night it would take a while for him to adjust, hadn't he? She, on the other hand, felt a little lethargic, sure, but

mainly just hungry. Breakfast was looking more and more enticing than her bed did.

"Don' wanna eat." Clef murmured, eyes closing again. If he hadn't been trapping her legs, Umi would probably be giggling like mad right about now… oh, she was _never_ going to let him forget this! The powerful, dignified Master Mage, _falling out of bed_ and _whining _about _getting up?_ Never!

She wriggled a little, and reached out to grab his shoulder and shake him slightly. "Come on, Clef! Get moving! Breakfast's _important!_ Besides, they'll have tea there, I reckon."

That worked. A little, anyway. Clef sat up, and Umi nudged him in the direction of his suitcase before grabbing some of her own clothes and shutting herself in the bathroom.

When she got out, Clef had managed to find himself a set of clothes, and was stood blinking at them. Umi rolled her eyes and pushed him gently in the direction of the bathroom. Honestly, funny as this comatose Clef might be, he was a whole lot of work, too…

She moved Clef's duvet back onto his bed and straightened both of them a little, then flopped into the chair Clef had used last night, glancing at the bathroom door occasionally. It was taking him a long time to get ready… her stomach was twisting, only mostly in hunger, and eventually she gave in and called for reassurance. /_Selece/_

_/Yes, little one/_ He replied, after a long moment.

/_Clef is just tired, isn't he? He isn't coming down with some strange illness I won't know how to treat or anything. Right/_

_/The mage is feeling tired as his magic and senses adjust to the distance between himself and Cephiro, as he told you himself last night. Beyond that, he is fine. You do not have to worry on that front./ _

_/Thank You, Selece./ _Her attention slid back to the room as a slightly more awake Clef emerged from the bathroom, dressed, hair in as much order as it ever was.

"I'm ready."

"Let's _go _then – I'm starving!" She jumped up and began moving towards the door. Something wasn't right, though – halfway there she had to turn to look at him again, then groaned, exasperated. "_Boots_."

Clef stopped walking, confused. "Boots?"

"Boots." Umi confirmed. "Boots, shoes, sandals – something to wear on you feet would be a good idea, Clef."

"Oh." He looked at his feet. "_Oh."_

"I'll wait in the corridor." She said, flinging the door open and stomping out.

The long hallway was lit brightly through a series of sunlights in the ceiling and utterly empty apart for Umi and one other girl, leaning against the wall one door down. Umi nodded a greeting and twisted to glance through the door; Clef was knelt looking under his bed, and she growled slightly.

"Clef, hurry up!"

"The invisible ninjas have stolen all my boots, it's not my fault!" He called back. Umi supposed that meant he was almost awake, if he could joke. She wrapped her arms about her grumbling stomach.

"If you aren't fully dressed and out here in one minute, you're going to become good friends with a water dragon attack. _That_ should get you moving!" She let go of the door, and it swung shut.

The girl next to her grinned. "I think we're on the same mission – this guy-" she pointed at the door beside her- "has two minutes left before I blow the door up and drag him downstairs, as well as taking the price of a new one out of his wages."

"Clef's already broken a clock, I don't think that would work on him this morning." Umi smiled back, relaxing a little. "Getting doused in freezing cold water should, though."

The woman laughed and straightened, brown eyes crinkling at the corners, and offered Umi her hand. Umi shook it. "I'm Cerys, one of the aides with the Huginn-Muminn delegation."

"Ryuuzaki Umi, Clef's bodyguard. We're from Cephiro – well, he is." Cerys raised an eyebrow. "I'm from Earth: it's a different world, in another dimension… or maybe just really far away. I never quite worked that one out."

"Well, it's good to meet you, wherever you come from."

They waited in a companionable silence, and Umi was beginning to count down the last few seconds of that minute when the door opened and Clef walked out, complete with boots on his feet.

"You didn't have to _threaten_ me." He grumbled, closing the door. "Anyway, if you soaked me I'd have to change, and we'd be even later."

"Better soaked than squished if I went the other way and summoned Selece on you." Umi said brightly, starting off down the hallway. "I hope your one appears soon!" she called back to Cerys – Clef, just noticing the other woman, bowed slightly and then hurried on to catch up with Umi before she disappeared around a corner. Neither of them noticed the dark eyes watching them thoughtfully.

Breakfast was in full swing by the time they got to the dining hall – a huge line of tables formed a buffet across the end of the hall, and the rows of tables from the night before had been replaced by smaller round ones, scattered about. Clef made straight for the teapots at the far end of the table while Umi veered off, heading towards the food.

There was a whole lot of it, most of which she didn't recognise, but she found what seemed to be the equivalent of a cooked breakfast on Earth, and a glass of fruit juice. Looking around, Clef was wandering over to one of the less crowded tables, so she followed him and sat down.

"Is that all you're having?" She asked, half-laughing, looking at the large teapot Clef was cradling.

"I'll eat something in a minute." He muttered back. "Caffeine is more important than food. Caffeine means I might survive today."

"Whatever you say; it's your stomach." She chuckled, and raised her own glass – then paused with it a few centimetres from her mouth. "Ah… Clef, you said they'd tried to poison you a few times, right?"

He looked up from his teacup. "What? Oh, right. Thanks for the reminder…" He glanced at her breakfast, then his tea, and muttered something quietly. Nothing seemed to happen, and he went back to pouring his tea. "All clear."

"… well, that's a handy spell. I don't have to play food-taster for you, either… which is good, because I'm really not all that fond of tea." She glanced at the cup he was now blowing on gently. "Not the way you drink it, anyway."

"There is nothing wrong with drinking tea black." He replied, then proceeded to ignore her and prove it. She went back to her food. It was… different, a little, but nice. The juice was, too – it tasted citrusy, but not like any citrus fruit she knew of, at the same time.

Eventually Clef finished his tea and wandered off to the food again, coming back with a plate full of fruit slices, and it wasn't long before they'd both finished. They had about an hour or so to finish getting ready in their room, which Umi spent watching Clef, who was trying to unpack and find a pair of earrings, and failing miserably to do so. His frustrated muttering at the unhelpful suitcases was just too low for her to hear it – which was probably a good thing, considering his tone. She didn't think he was being very polite about it.

"I've never wondered about it before… but why do you all wear earrings? You, LaFargo, Ferio… On earth, it's mainly the women who wear earrings, not the men. But I know Presea doesn't… Caldina does, but she'd not from Cephiro, either."

"They're a mark of status. Part of our uniforms… also, mages and the like tend to wear them more often than others – Ascot does, too. Who knows why it started… ahah!"

"Found them?"

"Found _some_." He slipped on a pair of silver hoops, and looked at the clock. "I'll have to finish later, or we're going to be late. Come on…"

"Sure you don't need to look some more?" She asked, quietly, and Clef turned to look at her more carefully. She was sat on the sofa, looking downwards, eyes almost closed. He sighed, and sat next to her.

"Aren't you the one who got me out of bed this morning?"

"No. You fell."

He smiled a little. "Well, the one who got me up, anyway. Do you want all that effort to go to waste?"

"…That would be a pity, I guess." She sighed, and sat up straighter. "Okay. Well, I guess we'd better get going then."

"Hang on a moment." He reached out, and very gently tipped her chin to face him. A startled Umi blinked up into his suddenly very, very blue eyes. "Thank you, Umi. Thank you for doing this for me, for all of us." His fingertips were light against her skin, brushing across it, and she could feel herself beginning to blush.

"I… thank you? You know I want to help out, Clef. I really do. I might not want to face a huge room full of politicians, but I'm not going to back out now."

"Good. We can face them together." He looked into her eyes for one more long second, then let her go, and stood up. "Well, here we go." He held out a hand, and she took it, letting him pull her to her feet.

The Conference Hall, itself, as pointed out to them by their guide the night before, was a huge, somewhat square building of red brick, imposing and, at least to Umi's eyes, incredibly ugly and 'functional' in its design. It also had a straggle of people wandering towards it, and the various doorways.

Looking about at the other representatives and their parties, Umi had to muffle a sigh. There were so _many _of them! She recognised a few people – the family which had been on the other side of their table at breakfast this morning, for example: a woman in formal robes with a man, presumably her husband, trailing after her and trying to keep their two young children, twin girls of about five, under control. The other child, a boy who looked to be about thirteen, was carrying a huge file and following his mother quietly: they shared the same long black hair and serious expression, and Umi was willing to bet that he was going to follow in his Mother's footsteps. But apart from them, there were hardly any people she could remember seeing at all. This was _not _going to be easy, keeping an eye on all of them. Especially not until she knew who the more important figures were…

Clef led her towards the main entrance, which fewer people were going through. They were being watched again, as they neared it: not with any antagonism, as far as she could tell, just curiosity. But it was a very odd feeling. She was used to a few heads turning as she walked; not to be immodest, but she knew she stood out. This was… _different_, and making the hairs stand up on the back of her neck.

They walked into a hall which was barely lit compared to the morning sunlight, and Umi walked closer to Clef as her eyes tried frantically to adjust. Thankfully, it was fairly short, and they walked out into a massive hall, lined by terraced benches, which were beginning to fill up. They rose in ranks around the room, in a huge oval shape, descending to a large space in the centre where there stood a slightly raised oval platform, with a massive table the same shape upon it, surrounded by groups of chairs in slightly separated groups.

This was the inner table, and it alone was brightly lit – the rest of the room faded into dimness towards the edge, lighting in the room provided at the moment only by a huge, circular stained-glass window set into the ceiling high above them. It was… beautiful, almost making up for the ugliness of the rest of the building: a bird, looking like a phoenix to her eyes, with feathers of orange and yellow on its body and a peacock's tail of fire. If it hadn't made the table look as if it were swimming in a sea of luminous red and gold lights, Umi would have adored it – as it was, she almost liked it, but was sure it was going to turn her hair an odd shade to those who were watching.

A uniformed aide with her hair twisted into a precise French plait met them as they walked through the doorway fully, bowed, and turned to lead them to the table. The heels of Umi's boots seemed terribly loud to herself, and they clicked down on the stone floor, but so did Clef's. The aide indicated two seats which were to be theirs, and left them wordlessly. Umi stepped up onto the platform warily, feeling incredibly self conscious in the softly glowing light, but at least the carpeting here muffled the sound of her steps.

There were a few others already at the table, but none yet near their place down one side: the wooden, red velvet cushioned chairs had obviously been arranged to seat each party precisely: there was a good two metre gap between the edge of their chairs and their nearest neighbour on either side. At the end of the table facing the doors, right underneath the head of the phoenix above, was one much larger chair than all the other ones. It had a high back, swan arms, deep and rich crimson padding and detailed carving around the whole of it. Kuregu's, Umi guessed. There were two of the smaller chairs either side of it, and a larger gap to the next group on both sides.

Clef nodded a greeting to the others there, and pulled one of their two seats out for Umi to sit. She did so, slowly, attempting to be as completely graceful as possible and sit down elegantly, feeling those eyes on her again. The platform carpeting muffled the scraping of the chair's legs, the sound hollow beneath them.

Clef lay a hand on her shoulder briefly and she looked in time to see him mutter and gesture a hand across the section of glossy table in front of them. A soft glow shone for a few moments, just long enough to gather attention to itself, then it faded away to leave two pads of paper, a folder and several pens on the table.

Umi watched Clef sit down, and could _swear_ he was hiding a smile from them all. All around the room a muttering could be heard, the Representatives already there looking on, pointing them out to each other. She could almost make out a few words amongst the babble. 'Cephiro… Mage… Power…' being repeated, passed around the room.

"Show off." She muttered. He was definitely hiding a grin as he sat down.

"Just making a point to them." He replied, quietly.

"Even without the pillar, a mage still has power?" He nodded, almost imperceptibly. "Shouldn't they know that by now?"

"There's always a few who are new here, or think our power must be waning."

"_I_ think you just wanted to stand out."

"That too." He smiled at her agreeably. Umi opened her mouth to retort again, but was cut off as the aide in the uniform returned, bringing a party of three people to sit opposite them; an older woman with gloriously long, wavy silver hair, and her twin… well, possibly aides, possibly secretaries, possibly students… each carrying large amounts of paper and looking at Clef with envy. Clef nodded to the Representative – Umi was quietly amused his head hadn't fallen off yet, he spent so much of his time having to nod or bow to various people: he was beginning to look like one of those nodding-head dolls, and she had to squash that image firmly before she burst out laughing in the Conference Hall and got Cephiro kicked off the table for letting insane people represent them.

The woman returned Clef's gesture in an impossibly graceful and solemn manner – the grin that broke out across her face as she straightened seemed out of character with the rest of her dignified figure, as did the mirth sparkling half-concealed in her eyes.

"Good to see you're still hanging on here, Lady Eorl." Clef said, amiably enough. It was all Umi could do not to stare at him once the words sank in.

"And I'm glad to hear that rumours of your death, or the loss of your powers, were greatly exaggerated." The Lady said, just as politely, still grinning. Umi decided the world must have gone mad for a few minutes, and sat back to wait for it to make sense again. "Though _something_ must have changed, if you have been persuaded to take a bodyguard. You must introduce me to your lovely companion."

"Ah, yes. Umi, this is the Lady Eorl of Solente, whose place as seventeenth on the table would never change even if they sent a three year old to negotiate for them. Lady Eorl, I have the honour to present to you the Lady Ryuuzaki, Magic Knight of water. She's here because the Castle Guardsmen are becoming even more paranoid about my safety, and she was on holiday anyway." He looked between the two, sounding pleased with himself and his summarisation – Umi rolled her eyes at him before bowing her head respectfully to the Lady, who was busily watching her with interest, all the time wondering why people never seemed to shake hands here.

A booming voice in her head did its very best to make her jump out of her skin – Umi had to fight hard, but manage to smother any reaction to Selece's sudden prescence.

_/It's so they don't attack each other, little, one; physical contact between representatives is kept to a minimum by the customs to reduce casualties. Mokona tells me it is similar to one of the lands on Earth, where there is a gap between the speakers in their Parliament wide enough they cannot reach each other with their swords./_

_/Um… thank you, Selece, but some warning next time might be nice before you start talking./_

_/Sorry, little one./ _He didn't sound particularly contrite, but Umi let it go. /_The Lady Eorl just asked you why you agreed to put up with the mage./ _

"Because I get paid for it, of course!" Umi said, brightly, hoping no one had noticed anything off.

"Well, I hope they're paying you a lot, to put up with him." If she had noticed anything, the Lady Eorl wasn't letting on. "Why, the first time I ever met him was one of the several occasions when he lost his temper with the court magicians on Solente – I was only five at the time, of course, and he only a wandering mage – but a temper like that one stays in your mind."

Umi smirked. "Yes, well, he's mellowed a lot in his old age – particularly the last few years, so it isn't as bad as it might have been." Clef 'huffed' quietly next to her, trying not to smile, and the discussion was ended as a stream of representatives began to fill the table, distinguishable from their aides only by the more highly decorated robes they wore. A few of the people there were obviously bodyguard types: mostly larger, stern-faced people in almost military outfits which might have a dozen hidden weapons concealed in them. Umi looked down at her own outfit, then Clef's, and had to fight back a laugh. This time, they were still fairly simple, in terms of Cephiro's style, and she was even wearing a tunic over trousers and shirt herself, leaving her armour in her glove gem. But compared to the rest of the room, their robes stood out plainly. They were just… _different._ Probably a measure of how cut off Cephiro was, or something.

Then all but one of the chairs were filled, and a hush fell as Kuregu walked in, alone and proud, and Umi silently amended her statement to '_almost_ anyone else's.'

He walked to the head of the table and sat, and Umi found herself watching him move, and deliberately turned away. She wasn't going to let his self aggrandising get to her. Not at all. She refused to be intimidated, no matter how dignified and utterly, utterly composed he looked.

…Damn it…

There was a brief moment of silence, as everyone waited for him to speak, then: "I declare this, the one thousand seven hundred and seventy fifth session of the Conference for all Nations, to be open. May it be as successful as the others have been, and may we grow closer and stronger in peace and agreement through these talks." There was a rustling of papers and cloth as people settled down into their chairs, a sort of tension fleeing from them all: it was done.

The Conference was in session.

That, however, turned out to be the most interesting part of the morning. Clef apparently hadn't been kidding when he'd warned her of boredom: at least in this first session, most of the time was spent listening to dull reports about things which had been decided on by previous sessions. Building of offices for ambassadors, creation of routes and paths through the distance between the worlds… most of them were being given by Representatives from the sides of the room, after being called on by Kuregu.

Umi had wondered how they would been seen to speak to the room in the dimmer parts around the edge, until the first one was called, and a light began to glow in the ceiling above them, illuminating them in a harsh white light. There must be thousands of lights concealed in the ceiling… unless there was a system which let parts of the ceiling itself glow, of course.

That would be a cool idea…

It explained why each country had a set place, too, to help whoever was doing the lighting make sure it shone on the right person. Not that she could see anyone sat with a set of switches or anything… there didn't seem to ba any windows into the room, and surely they needed to be able to see to do the lighting? It was probably an aide, or a group of aides… unless, of course, the whole system was automated. Though she didn't see how that could work…

Her mind drifted on currents like this for most of the morning, lulled by the virtually unbroken strings of figures and statistics being read out, which presumably meant something to some of the listeners – though not all, as she could see the young man sat round the table from her was steadily sketching all the people sat at the inner table instead of actually doing any work.

As yet another Representative stood at his table and began to read off numbers – this one apparently a 'Representative Schwarzerm of Temes'; a short man with long black hair and a sour expression visible even from where she sat – Clef pushed some of the paper and a pen at her, with a small sideways grin. She took the invitation and began doodling herself, or noting random things down. How the slate-haired man on the next table across from that of Schwarzerm seemed to be leaning further and further sideways in an attempt to stay out of the light, for example.

She held back a snigger as she imagined him leaning so far he slipped to the floor, and that image carried her on until a deep bell rang out, and she stirred, noticing the others beginning to gather up their papers and folders. Kuregu had apparently declared an end for lunch. She'd been so far away in her thoughts she hadn't even heard him: probably why he rang a bell too, she realised, grinning. To wake up all the other people who had been lulled virtually to sleep by the whole thing. Outside the hall was more of a concern, especially in the crowds as they left.

She probably should have been paying more attention, she thought, sheepishly. After all, she was being paid to keep an eye open for things… but then, something off in there would probably cause a stir long before it could reach them, with that amount of people looking on and willing to be distracted.

Clef vanished all their paper and pens with another wave of his hand, and they left the Hall in the great stream of people. No one was paying attention to which door they were going through, so it wasn't too out of place when someone tried to walk through them in the short corridor, apparently not seeing them in the gloom: Umi had got between the figure and Clef, and heard a low, gruff apology as he rebounded off her shoulder. They exited the corridor then, and Umi realised with a start that she recognised the person now walking away from them at a fast pace, his secretary struggling to keep up: it was Schwarzerm, his long black hair and slouched posture clearly recognisable in the sunlight.

She watched him walk away until he disappeared into the main building, rubbing at her shoulder, where he had gone into her. Clef noticed, and turned to her: "Are you okay?" He asked, softly.

"I'm fine, but… Clef, does Schwarzerm have anything against Cephiro?"

"What, the guy from Temes? Not as far as I know, besides the fact that we're on the table, and they're not."

"…Well, it's probably nothing. He didn't look like he ever had good moods, anyway."

"Who, Schwarzerm? He doesn't know what one is!" He took Umi's arm, leading her out of the crowd flowing from the doorways still. "Forget about him, Umi. It's lunchtime – do you want to get away from all these people for a bit? Most of them, anyway. The cafes should be open today, we could eat at one of them, instead of the main hall…"

"Fine, that sounds good." Umi let herself be drawn away towards one of the smaller buildings, one surrounded by climbing plants that tangled and clung to the bricks and the railings of the balcony they could see over the back; Schwarzerm drifted from her mind, but that small feeling of something off was filed away, should she need it again.

The café – well, more a restaurant, really – was quiet and comfortable inside. It was still s crisp, cool morning so they sat inside, at a corner table, half – buried in the large plants that decorated the inside of the place. The food was good, and while it was quiet, it wasn't so hushed that talking with each other felt like imposing.

"So, did any of that stuff this morning actually mean anything to you?" Umi asked, poking at the last few bites of her food, wondering if she had room to actually eat them.

"What, all those reports? Not much – there were a few things, though. I was working out which of the proposed lanes have actually been started: here, I'll show you-" one of the papers reappeared, and a pen, without any light this time. She snorted at that, and he actually blushed, just a little. "Here – if these are the main areas of the United Countries Alliance-" he scribbled five blobs in a kind of irregular, elongated oval onto the paper-" and these are the outlying regions who were lobbying for better routes-" more scribbling, mainly up and to the right-" then _these_ are the routes which were announced as part or completely finished this morning." He drew a series of lines on the paper now, and Umi immediately saw what he meant: only one or two actually touched the areas he'd indicated earlier. Most touched the central blobs, but reached out towards blank areas on the diagram.

"But… that doesn't make any sense, unless there's something else…"

Clef's face was grim. "What if I added in the large group of systems which have refused to join in the past, and which the UCA has been increasingly lobbying to make sign up and be under their control." A large hashed area was added.

Sure enough, most of the roads stretched out into or towards that area. Umi stared down, heartbeat picking up a little, not liking the look on Clef's face _at all._

"But… that would imply… they think they're going t be a part of this alliance, and soon. Clef… are they going to give in to the requests? I mean…"

"Not peacefully." His voice was tightly controlled, but a little of the emotion slipped into it.

"And, of course, any sort of armed force needs a way to get to the enemy… supply routes…" she trailed off, breathless again, a tight feeling in her chest. Clef nodded, and the paper vanished.

"I doubt many but those who were already in on it will have noticed anything: it was buried in all that rubbish, as you said. But as it stands, the UCA has no armed force to send in. If I'm right… well, we'll see in the next few days." He shook his head, and pushed aside his plate, forcing his expression to something lighter as he changed the subject. "Still, these meetings have got to be boring as anything to you – how about I start teaching you our ways of reading and writing, and you can practise that if you get too bored?"

"Lessons to stop me being bored?" She raised an eyebrow sceptically. "That sounds like a contradiction in terms, Clef… still, it'd be good to be able to read the clocks and whatever."

His eyes lightened at her expression. "Trust me, the studying will seem incredibly interesting compared to most of what goes on in there, and you don't have to sit and try to figure it out. Here, let's start with the numbers – we've still got about twenty minutes before the table meets for the afternoon."

The brief lesson turned into one for Clef as much as for her, as he wrote down the symbols used here for 0 to 9, and showed her how they were used, in the same way as the western system of numbers on Earth, and Umi ended up writing down their kanji equivalents… and then explaining the whole Japanese numbering system to him, as well as the western one.

They were very nearly late for the afternoon session, but made it before Kuregu did. Just.

The room seemed… larger, even, with only the Inner Table inside. The edges seemed darker shadows creeping further towards them. At the same time, though, the table itself seemed more like a table, and less like a platform, or a spotlight. It was less tense, without all those eyes on them, and easier to keep track of who was talking – even if it was still as hard to keep track of what they were actually talking about.

The representatives were called on , one at a time, to give a 'report on the development of their nation during the course of the last twelve months', in no apparent order, at least to Umi's eyes. Her patience was rapidly dwindling with this habit of saying a lot to say very little, and she gave up after the first few took five minutes or more to say something like 'the country made more money than last year, and we taxed the people more to get our hands on it.' After that, she simply tuned them out, and hoped Clef would tell her what they actually said later, concentrating on the paper in front of her and learning the new 'alphabet' of thirty or so symbols instead.

She did notice a few things, though, keeping her eyes and ears open though her mind was ignoring them. The two Representatives who sat at Kuregu's right hand were the delegation from Huginn-Muminn, a tall woman and a short man, one from each city state, with Cerys sitting, solemn faced, on the outside of the party. Their report was quick – the next few were empathetically _not _quick. The Lady Representative Regan of Earldor, in particular, waffled on for nearly quarter of an hour at them, pausing every so often to flick her raven black hair out of her eyes and glance around the table all in the same movement.

She finished, eventually, and Umi flinched just a little as Clef stirred beside her and reached out to order the papers on the table in front of him, after sitting still and taking quiet notes for so long. She had time to wonder why, then Kuregu gave her the answer, and she felt abysmal for not having realised it: Clef was here as one of these representatives, not an ambassador to them, or a defendant from them: one of them. She should really remember that!

"Now, if the honourable Representative Clef would be so kind, let us hear the report on Cephiro for the past year."

Why hadn't she realised he would have to do one of these things, too?

"Very well." Clef was sitting up straighter, taller – well, either that or Umi had shrunk in the past few seconds sat next to him, and she didn't think that was too likely. The warm light in the hall seemed to focus around him somehow, glinting off the metallic threads in his robes and gleaming softly on the pale lavender of his hair.

It hit Umi, hard, that she didn't have a clue what Clef was going to say to these people, what he _could_ say. She knew a good deal about how Cephiro had been developing over the past few years, but none of it seemed to match with the kinds of things the others had been mentioning. Massive building programs, increasing tourism… a growing economy… did Cephiro even _have_ an economy on those terms? As for governmental reforms… actually _having_ a government tended to help with things like that.

Clef, however, seemed as calm as usual. "The structure of Cephiran society is being carefully revised and reordered, as the Table have suggested in years past, and as I reported last year. This is proceeding within a carefully considered long term plan, and is so far being implemented entirely successfully, without causing any stress or unrest amongst the people. Our ties with other countries are being further developed and strengthened, the country is becoming increasingly more prosperous, and the strength of the will of the people is growing, and shaping the country as it wishes, as it should." He began. Umi had to concentrate very hard to not turn and stare at him. (Or, worse, ask him what the hell he was talking about. Or maybe why he was talking about it in that way – he was implying things that had nothing to do with the truth of his statements.)

He went on to give some series of figures which were meaningless to Umi, and probably to the rest of the bored clients, as well. Only one group was regarding Clef with any sort of attention: three men, all of whom looked about the age of forty, and were sat just down the table from them.

All three were regarding Clef with such an expression of loathing that Umi found her hand drifting out to where her sword hilt would be, if it were fastened to her instead of in her glove gem. She didn't know who these three were, as they hadn't spoken at all yet. Looking closely at the clothing they wore, though, she was reminded strongly of Eagle's outfits; her suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when, Clef having finished, Kuregu called on the "Representative… Brooke of Autozam" and the central figure stood up to speak to the table.

Umi registered the lack of the 'honourable' honorific with a small amount of surprise, she'd thought Kuregu would welcome these usurpers. If for no other reason than it getting a strong willed and talented young man out of the Assembly and out of his way. But his face, when he watched 'Brooke' give his terse report, was decidedly blank and filled with the promise of coldness.

Brooke, when Umi turned her attention to him, was a stork like creature with steely hair pulled into a tight queue at the nape of his neck. His voice grated her ears, his words were full of talk about the 'strong control' and 'discipline' that had been 'restored to Autozam with the rejection of the old, soft politicians, grown lazy and indulgent, relying on the tyrannical rule of the military.' He spoke of the restoration of order and the room was so utterly quiet a beetle could have been heard, if one had dared enter the room and interrupt the scene. The air was heavy and still, his voice falling through it like a dead weight, and yet not all the representatives seemed hostile to him, from Umi's furtive glances around. There were three different groups, in particular, sat in a row on Kuregu's left who seemed to be listening with interest: Lord Ash of Norand, Lady something-or-other of Mercia, and another man, Elphinstone… probably… of somewhere beginning with 'd'. All three wore brightly coloured clothes in achingly fluorescent stripes of green, red and blue, though all were styled and dyed differently from the other. They listened, with what looked like interest, and Umi began to feel trapped between the two groups though there were others in the space as well.

Was it her imagination, or did the 'representatives' of Autozam keep glancing over at Clef?

But it was over before she could make her mind up, and while she was watching the glowering Brooke and company, the last few representatives made their reports, and she missed Kuregu's dismissal of them completely. She jumped clear out of her skin at Clef standing beside her, and stumbled to her feet under his concerned gaze. Her heart was beating wildly as the three filed past them, moving herself forwards almost unconsciously to stand between them and Clef. At his light touch on her elbow she turned, a little, but never let her eyes leave them until they disappeared down the corridor.

"What's up?" Clef murmured lightly, his voice brushing her ear in a ticklish manner, and she raised a hand to rub at it while she replied.

"It's nothing… not here, anyway. Ask again when we're alone."

They left the hall almost last, Umi lingering until she could see the rest of the representatives in front of them before letting Clef walk off the platform. Her mind was full of the warnings they'd had – from the Fighter Pilot, and from Zazu.

It was late afternoon outside, and Clef set a brisk pace across to the hotel buildings, pulling his robes tighter around himself against the biting wind that had sprung up. He didn't say anything at all until they reached the confines of their room, and Umi sighed at the unreadable gaze he turned on her, waiting for her to retrieve the key and let them in.

She managed to get the door opened eventually, and he followed her inside, still silent. The room looked exactly the same as it had that morning. Umi checked the window, the bathroom… even the wardrobes, while Clef stood, quiet as death, eyes fixed on her. In the end she came back and stood in front of him, not raising her eyes from the ground.

"Mind telling me what that was in there?" he said, his voice so very quiet and controlled that she felt nervous, hands tensing into fists.

"I… I… Clef, who were the three in the painfully coloured clothes? Ash, and… the one from Mercia, and the other one…"

"The three? Norand, Mercia, Dalriada? Ash, Robin and Elphinstone?"

Umi sank into a chair." "Yes, that's the three I meant. Who… what are they like, their countries like? Apart from having no sense of colour." Her hands tightened further in the long pause that followed, as Clef stood unmoving.

"Their clothes were fairly headache inducing today, weren't they." Clef muttered, sinking down into a seat opposite her, eyes on her fists. They relaxed a little at the small softening of his voice. He sighed, and closed his eyes, forcing his own muscles to relax: Umi glance up at him, then back to the floor.

"Well, those three are three of the most powerful countries around – the 'faction of three', they're known as. Not where anyone can hear it being said, of course, as the formation of factions and alliances is illegal on the table… an accusation of that sort would put you directly up against the three of them, and you wouldn't last very long, let me tell you. They have places four, five and six on the table, largely because of the serious amount of power those three reps have managed to gain, after being on the table for so long…"

"So… do you think they could be behind the assassination attempts?"

Clef opened his eyes, slowly, to stare at her. "Why do you think it might be them?"

Umi bit her lip, searching for a way to describe the feeling. "I just… they were listening to Autozam, to Brooke, and looked… interested in what he had to say, and we know that Brooke and the others aren't enamoured of Cephiro. I could see that today, too, I think… of course, it might be them, and not the three at all." Clef's expression hadn't changes, and she found herself squirming in her chair again.

"It can't have been Brooke and the others in the Autozam faction." He replied, eventually. "That whole thing is too recent. As for the three… well, I can't think of any reason for them to be trying to take me off the table. Not that that means there isn't one, but… they're _too _powerful, if anything. They aren't likely to go for something like assassination, not themselves. If it were traced back to them, their whole position would be damaged: and an assassination is more likely to be traced than something like blackmail, or creating a scandal. I do not think they would be taking this route: besides, if they had been doing so, I think they would have been a little more serious about it. I probably wouldn't have survived anything like this long."

Umi met his eyes, and shivered. He meant it – they were dark, still blue, but the blue of a cold and cloudless winter midnight.

"…Clef… is something wrong? You seem… not like yourself." She said, trying to sound as non-aggressive as possible. He was… not scaring her, exactly, but she felt like she was walking on thin ice, and not sure what would break it. She knew how to swim, if it came down to it – she wasn't afraid of that. But if his temper went, then she wasn't going to get him to open up anytime soon – and _that_ scared her.

Clef sighed, and looked away, and Umi knew some thing was wrong - badly wrong - if he wouldn't meet her eyes… and she didn't know _why_ something would be wrong now, any more than it had been at lunch time.

"What's wrong, Clef?" She said, again, almost pleading with him. He didn't ove and she stoo, stepped forwards, and knelt on the ground in front of him, looking up to see his face. Her arms rested on his legs, and it was all de could do to keep her fingers from playing with the soft cloth of his trousers in her nervousness as she crouched before him. He still wouldn't look at her, but she could see his eyes now, beyond the veil of his fringes.

"Clef." She whispered again, softly.

Stirring as if to pull back from her, he flinched as she reached out to take one of his hands – but let her tangle their fingers together.

"I… did you notice, Umi? At least four of the people sat around that table today never managed to take their eyes off you… and all of them were people I'd class as 'predators'. "

Umi's breath caught in her throat, for a moment, then she blew it out and shook her head. "I… no, I didn't Is that what this is all about? You know I can take care of myself, Clef. Did you think I was worrying about _them_?"

"You've never had to face people like these before, no matter what your father's job is." He looked at her squarely, and she had to force herself not to pull back from this Clef, who seemed… so distant, somehow. As if he was trying to keep himself apart from the world, from her. "And it wasn't just them – when we walked out, Schwarzern was sat at one of the cafes. In plain sight of the hall, watching, waiting for us to come out – I only saw it because you mentioned him, earlier, but he was watching us all the way back to the building – he was watching _you._" Umi shivered again, fighting off the memory of those hard eyes… and found herself unable to meet Clef's eyes, staring sideways at the window, at the clear sky.

Suddenly, she bit her lip, hard, apprehension twisting inside her until it felt more like anger. Was Clef trying to warn her, or trying to scare her off, away? His eyes weren't just dark, they were empty of anything she could understand.

What was it Selece had told her, before they'd left Cephiro/_Keep him human, little one. Don't let him hide from you./_

Her face snapped back to him, fingers tightening on his, her voice low and full of meaning. "Is that all then, Clef? You're freaking out because people are _watching_ me? It's what I'm here for – you know that as well as I do. To take their eyes off _you._"

"Still," he said, and there was a hesitation in his voice now. "they're a threat to you, just as much as to me – if not more, as I'm protected from them by my status, if only a little."

"Exactly. A threat to _both _of us, Clef, and I'm here to shield you from threats like that.

She stood in one fluid movement, pulling his arm up with her, and his gaze followed her, startled, until he was leaning back to look up at her. "If you're going to go all over-protective on me, you've got about a minute to explain yourself before I kick your butt all over this place."

"I…Umi…" He pulled his hand away and slumped backwards into his chair, head flopped back so he was gazing at the ceiling. "I'm not. I know you can take care of yourself, okay? I'm just… concerned." His voice was getting rougher, a bite coming back into it, matched by a spark in his eyes. "If I'm not allowed to be concerned about my friends, then there's no point in my being here: tell me now, and I'll go home, because that's the only reason I put up with this farce."

Umi heaved a sigh of relief, and he looked at her – not quiet glaring, but close enough that he was back, she was faced with Clef again, not his shadow. "You warned me, and I'll be careful. So that's all fine."

"Hmph."

He seemed ready to drop it, though, and so Umi let him, walking away. She wasn't thinking about what he'd told her – really wasn't thinking about it, because she had the feeling that if she did, she was going to look as nervous as she felt, where he could see it, and she couldn't let herself do that, not now! Normally, yes, she would have let herself be frightened in front of him. He always seemed to know, anyway – and what else were friends for? But at this moment, they were still out of alignment. And that made her uncomfortably aware of every weakness he might see, every idiotic action she might make at a point when he didn't understand her.

She walked to her bed and sat on it, staring out of the window, her body feeling incredibly heavy for no apparent reason. All she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and let herself sleep, but she wouldn't do that either, and there was only the silence and Clef's gaze pressing against the side of her head. Umi wondered, vaguely, which direction Cephiro was in, what time it was for her friends – Hikaru and Fuu would be having such fun now.

After a while Clef spoke again, and while his voice was still more of a rough velvet than the rich silk she was used to hearing, his tone was softer, almost apologetic. "Dinner will be in half an hour – do you want to order something in, instead of going out? There's still the drinks to go this evening, so it's a valid option."

"I…okay, yeah, that sounds fine. Any chance to not have to deal with that lot just yet."

"Ditto." A fleeting grin crossed his face, gone almost before Umi was certain she'd seen it.

There was a menu in one of the desk drawers, and Clef read it out for Umi, voice getting gradually more normal as he did so. There was a small comm. Screen set into one of the desks, and after they sent the food order through Clef altered his wards, just slightly, and sent a call through to Cephiro which was protected against eavesdroppers.

LaFarga picked it up. LaFarga was, in fact, the only one of their friends in the castle and yet not in a meeting at the time: the pilot's warning and message for Hikaru and Lantis was passed on, and Umi was asking about the other Knights when the food came and they had to hang up.

Clef brought out more paper, and began showing Umi how the letters she'd been shown earlier formed words and sentences – seemingly finding it easier to look at the paper than at her, but that was okay, because by the end of the meal things were almost okay. Not quite, but close enough that the room didn't feel awkward.

Once they were in the Great Hall for the 'evening drinks' they were back to as normal as ever. Umi kept close to Clef as men and women 'wandered over' to waylay him and chat for a few minutes. It was a surprise how many of them were asking for his help, or his advice; apparently even the lowest countries on the Table had power over the others in their eyes.

As for those higher on the table, Umi was watching the 'three' carefully. Luckily the insane colour scheme they wore made it easier to follow them in the mass of people.

They were… _circling_ was the word which came to mind, talking to almost everyone in the room, split up to catch more people. Elphinstone was just walking away from that leaning representative from earlier – Ost, from Pedredune, or Pedredan, or somewhere, she thought – when Umi caught sight something behind him, _again,_ and stared.

"Schwarzern is sure getting comfortable with the Huginn-Mininn faction, Clef." Umi murmured from his side, so low it was doubtful they had even been heard by the woman in front of them.

"…He is?" Clef whispered back, trying to look around without being seen to do so.

"Yeah… isn't that one of their aides he's talking with? Over in the corner by the pink plant. I'm sure that's the guy staying next to us…"

Clef's eyes were fixed back on the people he was supposedly listening to politely. "Yes, it is. How long have they been there?"

"At least half an hour now. They were there when we got here, I remember seeing them."

"Well, well. Isn't that something to think about…"

End Chapter Six.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP. All hail CLAMP!

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: #bows apologetically# I'm sorry for the, ah, unplanned hiatus – I've been having technical problems. (Read: my laptop died a slow and painful death, and I was told I've stressed my right wrist too much, and shouldn't type or write with it for a while. I'm decidedly NOT ambidextrous, this is not fun. D: ) This is sorta-kinda-maybe part a of the original chapter seven, because the file keeps getting warped in different ways, and I've lost the other part somewhere in the mess that is my hard drive: the other bit should be incorporated in chapter eight, hopefully. (I just wanted to put something up and prove I was still alive! Before the file got eaten again.) Computer-sorting and fixing is next week, and I should be updating regularly from now. I hope!

Thank you so much for the reviews, by the way – my e-mail is about the only thing I've managed to access lately, and it's great to know people still want to read this! (It also does a good job of guilting me into writing and editing more, which I need. XD ) so, thank you all. hugs (Oh, and does anyone have a list of all the tags/punctuation that ffn rips from word files? Oo. I only just noticed it's been screwing with my formatting. Probably saving you from some of my weirder grammar, too. XP)

So, um, sorry again! #bows lower and throws cookies to all readers# :)

* * *

Chapter Seven: Watch 

The next day went pretty much the same way as the first, though the topics of 'discussion' had been opened up to 'pressing issues' in the Conference hall that morning, with the last of the reports on progress having been completed. It became far more like a discussion, with the Representatives all listening to each other's views on a topic one at a time, and then responding. The members of the inner table didn't take much part in this, apart from Kuregu. They didn't have to. The afternoon session was based around the issues that had been discussed in the morning, which were then argued about in a much less formal (and more aggressive) manner. Clef didn't say too much: the morning had been based mostly around a proposed public transportation system for the inner worlds alone – as Cephiro was out on one of the edges, the arguing about routes was hardly relevant.

Towards the end of the morning, however, talk drifted on to more serious matters. It began to touch on defence, and Clef started becoming more involved in the discussion… and more tense, as well, as Umi could tell, sat next to him. But a force of any sort wasn't brought up before they went back to their rooms. Clef spent about another two hours at the desk, pondering on the possibility of an army, and any strategy Kuregu might use… as well as any defence that might be possible to use.

He couldn't find anything, unfortunately, and was in a black mood as they went down to dinner in the main hall, and found themselves accosted by one of the smaller countries. Being dragged off to sit with them by a small (and probably bribed to do so) child and forced to take part in some of the most inane conversation that had yet occurred was hardly going to ease Clef's mood. It wasn't much better even by the time they went down again to the drinks, and Umi found herself becoming more and more a buffer between him and the other representatives.

After one particularly worrying moment when she thought Clef was really going to snap and throw his drink at the man addressing them, if not just outright attacking him, she began to wonder how he'd ever managed without her here to keep him out of trouble. Then he had to return the favour and keep her from punching a young man who had had rather too much to drink, and was (probably) blearily proposing marriage to her. After that she was wondering how anyone could stay with some of these people for two weeks or more, and NOT attack at least one of them.

When they got back to their door, eventually, it was with a great feeling of relief at having escaped that rabble. The sense of relief quickly vanished - Clef lay one hand on the door as he waited for Umi to unlock it, and then he was snatching her hand away from the door, eyeing it with suspicion.

"What is it, Clef? What's wrong?" One of her hands was raised ready to grasp her sword, the other still clutching the key; she made a quick check of the shadowed corridor. They were alone, only the hollow echoing of laughter and faint, quick footsteps drifting up to them from the stairwell.

"The wards have been touched." Came the terse reply, and she drew in a sharp breath, the gem on her glove beginning to shine brightly.

"What's happened?"

A brief flash of light bathed the corridor, throwing it into black-and-white, like a lightning strike hitting, as the wards reacted to his silent questioning and wrapping around his hand. Umi's eyes watered, but she refused to close her eyes properly and just squinted, a tear slipping across her cheek.

"Someone's tried to get into our room." Clef's eyes were closed, one hand reaching out to brush the wood lightly through the warding. "I think the spells kept them out – they don't appear to have tried to force the wards, once they were rejected. It might have been a member of the hotel staff, I guess…" he pulled his hand and shrugged at her. "…though why they'd want to get into our rooms in the late hours of the evening is beyond me."

Umi raised an eyebrow at him and Clef winced, pulled a wry smile, and stood back for her to open the door.

Whoever it was, they _hadn't_ managed to get inside. But Clef joined Umi in her check of the suite before they settled down for the night, and he strengthened the wards before he slipped into bed. (Not that he got to sleep quickly. In fact, he spent nearly an hour just lying on his side, watching Umi breathing softly in the next bed. Before this evening, the situation had been surreal – now there was a gnawing worry in the pit of his stomach dragging it back to reality in an unwanted manner.)

When the alarm rang the next morning, Umi had barely struggled free from a heavy, pressing, _shifting_ dream full of darkness and the taste of metal, last in a night-long round of dreams she could barely remember, Before Clef was up and out of bed. The alarm clock (repaired hastily last night)was switched off with a rather disturbing 'SchKRUnch'-ing sound she was sure it shouldn't be making, and Clef was already disappearing into the bathroom while she tried to push herself upright.

She was hardly any more awake when he emerged, fully showered and dressed, and pushed her towards the connecting door with a grin hovering about his face. Her bed was still tempting when _she _came out ; soft quilt, comfy mattress, a mass of pillows… a virtual nest of warmth, really, and so much more enticing than the chill morning air. But even the air seemed much less frigid after a bitingly cold minute in the shower, when she had cut off all the hot water and let the cold shock her into something resembling a human; she was ready to go down to breakfast on time, if not entirely willing.

Food would help. Hopefully, anyway – the water hadn't chased away the impressions of pressure and blackness left by the dreams, and she really wanted to sleep again, and dream something nicer. Breakfast was a more formal thing, this morning: people were being ushered to set seats at the long tables, staff members bringing out food to them as it was ordered, though everyone was coming and going as they wished. A smartly uniformed woman ushered the two of them up to two free spaces on the first table, and they found themselves sat between two very large, loud families. Umi had barely registered that, when she realised the 'waitress' was walking away.

"…oh. Um, Clef?" she murmured, sinking down into the seat and not looking at him.

"Yes, Umi? Something wrong?"

"How, exactly, do we order? I mean, I don't see anything like a menu, but…"

He grinned at her again, but managed to swallow any laughter. "Through the menus! Here – " and he reached over the place-settings to a small, polished square of crystal, engraved on one side, which Umi had ignored as some sort of name-card. But it began to glow as he lifted it, and the writing began to shift, enlarge…

Umi blinked hard, then rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh."

"Menus. Just like the maps, really, projecting a holographic image – but double tap on anything to select it, put it back on the sensor," and there was a sensor, she saw now, a dot of metal in the wood table. "and that's your order placed. Nice and simple, right?"

"Right."

Not that it _was_ as simple as that, of course. Ordering proved quickly to be an _experience_, in and of itself, at least for Umi. Clef found himself having to translate each entry for her, then try to _describe_ each food, all without letting on that she was basically illiterate in this place.

In the end she gave in after his attempt to describe one item led to the phrase "random bits of meat distressed with something alcoholic and boiled until they turn to mush?" and she decided he had to be doing it on purpose. She ordered the same as he was having, a "bowl of something like fruit… soup? But cold, and… it's nice?" Which was probably something like yoghurt. Possibly. And, if not… well, she didn't always bother with breakfast at home…

"Why wasn't this a problem before?" She grumbled, sitting back. "I got on just fine with the menus until now…"

"Actually, the only _menu_ we've used was the one in the room, and then we stuck to the foods you knew from Cephiro. Every other meal you've managed to see the dishes and pick one." Clef replied, hiding another grin behind his tea-cup: drinks were set out along the centre of the tables, and he'd claimed one of the teapots again. Umi just huffed at him. "Are you sure you don't want tea instead of juice this morning, Umi? Sounds like you could do with the boost to wake up."

"I'm _fine._ When is this food meant to get here?"

"Any minute now –" and he was cut off by the arrival of yet another waiter, who set a bowl down in front of Clef, and moved on. The food really did look like some sort of fruit yoghurt, with pieces of not-quite-strawberry-or-raspberry floating in it. "See?"

"…well, where's mine?" she leant across to have a closer look and missed the exasperated expression Clef gave the back of her head. It even _smelt_ nice… "That actually looks quite good, you know…"

"Of course I know, I ordered it. Why are you so surprised?" he smirked, and got whacked on the shoulder. Umi tried to pout at him, and failed miserably when he grinned at her. "Hungry, are you?"

"_Yes!"_

"Well, you messed around for so long before ordering yours that mine was higher on the list, that's all. Hang on – you can try some of mine once I've checked it…"

The brief pause as Clef cast the spell on their food was becoming very familiar, as was his food doing absolutely nothing in response. Umi'd had her spoon ready and nearly to the surface when a loud yelp from behind had her up and turning, brandishing her spoon in midair, just beating Clef's reaction.

All across the room there were people who had leapt up, and more who were staring – with good reason: there, behind Umi's chair, was another waiter… splashed head-to-toe with Umi's breakfast from the nearly empty bowl he clutched.

Umi stared, then thought to lower the spoon, and tried not to giggle. The poor man looked bewildered… and he was dripping yoghurt.

"I… I'm sorry! I… must have jogged it? Somehow… I'm sorry, Lady Ryuuzaki."

"That's okay." She beamed at him, bad mood forgotten, as people began turning back to their meals. "It was an accident, that's all. Might have happened to anyone."

"Even so…" He stuttered, almost fluorescently red with embarrassment. "I'm still sorry, my Lady. I hope I didn't splash you?"

"Nope, I'm fine. You, Clef?"

"I'm okay, too – though I suggest _you _go and get cleaned up as quickly as you can, or that stuff will never come out of your uniform."

"Thank you, my Lord." He bowed to them both, still bright red, and Umi had to bite her lip to keep the laughter in when several pieces of fruit fell to the floor as he moved, with a wet 'splodge'. "Uh… yes. A replacement meal will be sent out immediately, I'll make sure of that-"

"No, that won't be necessary," Clef spoke a little too quickly, earning himself a brief 'look' from Umi. "The Lady Ryuuzaki can have my bowl. I find I don't really have an appetite this morning, better not let it waste."

"I… yes, I'll have Clef's. Don't worry about it." She nodded, some of her mirth falling away.

The waiter straightened, with an uncertain smile at them. "If you're both sure… very well, then. I'm terribly sorry for any inconvenience."

He turned to go, only to be called back for a moment by a thoughtful Clef. "There's just one thing – what is your name?" The brief look of fear on the man's face raised a blink and a shake of the head from Clef. "No, I don't want to _report _you or anything like that. I just want to be able to ask for you again; you seem to be genuinely trying your best here."

That was a surprise, but it won another smile. "My name is Spark: Spark Piercasen."

"Thank you."

He managed to leave this time, and they sat back down, Clef sliding his bowl over to Umi and pulling the teapot closer. He wasn't looking at Umi at all, and his hands were just that bit too tight on the china…

"Clef…" She glanced around, and no on else seemed to be listening to her, but… "Was… was that…"

He nodded, and her heart leapt.

"It must have been just inside the spell's radius." His voice was a murmur, too. "With that kind of a reaction, there was definitely something in that to make someone ill enough they had to stay in bed for the next few days, at least."

"Not… ah…"

"No, not to kill. The bowl was still whole, the reaction wasn't strong enough to shatter it."

"…oh." Looking down at the (innocent looking) bowl before her, Umi couldn't help but swallow hard. "I… can see why you have no appetite. Even if you're sure this one is clean…?"

Nodding, Clef poured himself a new cup of tea and began to stir the golden liquid slowly. "Yeah, it's fine. It was just that one which had anything…" he looked up then, for a long moment. "We can talk about it later, okay? When we get out of here. Too many people around…"

The food probably was nice, but in the end Umi barely tasted anything, even when she managed to take a spoonful.

Back in their rooms, with ten minutes before the morning session opened, Clef was staring out of the window at the pale sky. "That poison was almost certainly aimed at you, not me." He began, thinking out loud. Umi curled up on her bed and dragged a pillow into her lap, holding it tight. "It would be a stupid mistake to make, finding out which was our order and putting the stuff in the wrong bowl, especially when they were so far apart… which means one of two things, I guess. Either they were banking on you being stuck in here and my being unwilling to leave you, so I missed today's talks – in which case something is going to come up today they want me excluded from – or they wanted to disable my bodyguard, and deplete my defences – so they were planning on taking me out some time today. Whether they'll go ahead with an attack with you still here, I don't…. well, I think the first version is probably more likely. All things considered."

The pillowcase was being pulled out of shape in Umi's fists as she watched his profile. "Do you think this is linked to last night? Whoever wanted to get in here?"

"Could be. They might have wanted to set up something in here to take one or both of us down, and gone for the poison when that failed. It would explain why they didn't force the wards, if they already had a back-up plan. Assuming they didn't know the wards would tell me of the attempt, they may be trying to be discrete… whatever was in that bowl might have seemed like a natural illness, for all we know. That way I would have stayed with you, not suspecting anything was going on until the session was over, and being late into the debate…"

He came and sat down next to Umi, propping his head up on a folded knee. "And this is all guesswork, isn't it." She murmured, tone making it a statement, not a question. "They could have something else going on – hell, they could just be trying to get rid of the two of us! Weaken us with something that seems like the flu then sending in an assassin to finish the job."

Umi stopped then, blinking, then shook her head, hard. "Damn, just listen to me – hardly looking on the bright side of things!" Clef snorted in agreement. "It didn't work – that's twice they've failed, if it really _was _someone with bad intentions last night. Maybe they'll just give up!"

"Or resort to bombs." Clef put in, but he was grinning at her, even if the tightness about his eyes didn't soften much. She whacked him on the shoulder again, with the pillow this time, and he pretended to wince.

"Stop it! You knew what I meant – and hadn't we better get shifting? We've only got three minutes to get to the assembly hall."

"Geh – yeah, better be off. Got everything you want today? Good. Just remember: be on your guard. Something might well come up today, or happen… be aware, okay?"

She turned to retort that she'd be fine, shouldn't he be the one worrying, as the Representative? But she stopped at the look on his face, the way the last few words dropped until they were gentle, almost pleading.

In the end, she just nodded, then they were out the door and effectively silenced where others could overhear them.

* * *

end chapter seven 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of the characters portrayed in it. They belong to CLAMP, and are being used for creative purposes, as allowed by CLAMP (see the information page of their official website, clamp-net, for details).

Summary: Clef's life is in danger, and Umi finds herself being pulled into a world full of intrigues, politics and assassins as she tries to help him stay alive. (main:) Clemi. Also contains F/F, H/L/E

Notes: #Deep bow to any poor readers I might have left#

I am incredibly sorry for how long this has taken! I never, ever expected my wrist to be so bad – I ended up with regular physiotherapy on it for three months, part of which included moving the bones in my wrist about. #wince# It was… not good, and still isn't right… I tried to keep going on this chapter throughout, but it's hard when you keep being ordered to not write, not type, rest your wrist and don't do anything. #glares at selection of doctors and physiotherapists#

Then I got the place on exchange from my University to Japan, and had to move to the other side of the world for a year. Which was an… interesting process. Japan, however, is brilliant. (And research for more and different Rayearth fic. #grins#)

I honestly and truly hate this chapter, but I'm not going to be able to fix it in any way until I've finished the whole thing – I've been writing and rewriting it for so long that I'm too close to do any good to it now, so I leave it for you, and please feel free to leave criticisms – I need the help! At some point, trying to make this chapter into something 'readable' made writing… not much fun, for a while. So I'm doing Nanowrimo on something completely different – and original novel, one which I'm excited about, and by the time November and that are over I should be able to turn back to this without feeling guilty, or stuck.

I WILL finish Protecting You, don't worry about that. I can't not – this thing has a fair chunk of my brain all to itself, if I didn't it would drive me mad. XD It's just taking me a lot longer than I thought. And the reasons, excuses, don't really matter, in the end – that's what it comes down to…

Hopefully, someone still wants me to?

(Besides you, Mil, that is – getting your review made me sit down today and put the last thousand words onto this. Despite it probably needing trimming more than boosting. Heh.)

Thank you so much for all your reviews – they made me come back to this when I felt like giving up, for a time.

-Down

PS I did try to keep the political babble out, but that was where I was failing the most. #deep sigh# There's other stuff in between it, though. I promise!

Chapter Eight: Nightmare

Even leaving so late, they managed to get to the Hall on time – mainly because Clef gave up on conventional means at the end of the corridor, and grabbed Umi's hand to translocate them to the doors. The shadows wrapped about them as they appeared in the entrance way, shielding them from the people rushing to the other doors even when Umi stumbled at the sudden change and crashed into the wall.

"A little _warning_ next time, please?" she hissed at him, snatching her hand away to rub at her shoulder.

Clef winced, and reached out to tug her tunic straight across her shoulders, where it had gotten rucked up, the light cloth snagging on the rough plaster of the corridor. "I'm sorry, Umi. Here –" the faintest of lights washed over her cheek and neck, wrapping about her skin even through her clothes to soothe away the grazes and bruising she'd gained.

Her skin… tingled, the feeling not quite an itch, but closer to that than to anything else she'd ever felt. Rubbing at her shoulder still, she blinked, while Clef glanced about to check that no one had spotted the spell-glow. He had used, basically, the same spell that Fuu tended to use – Umi'd been healed by it often enough to know that. But Fuu's version felt like a gentle breeze sweeping through you. The way Clef's power had touched her was more… intimate, somehow. More like a – a warm breath, on the back of her neck.

By the time he met her eyes again, she'd forgiven the brief hurt – forgotten it, at any rate. "Ready to face them?" he murmured, with a nod to the archway, and the hubbub beyond it.

"Do I _have_ to?" She said, trying to whine and pout at him; what she came out with was quieter, near wistful. It had an edge of the truth to it, one she hadn't meant to express, and winced to hear.

The quiet that stretched then between them was only emphasized by the buzz of voices from the hall echoing about them distantly. Umi sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Clef – I didn't mean that." A look was enough to tell her he knew better than that, blue eyes far too piercing in the gloom. In return, Umi glared at him. "You know what I mean! I'm _not_ going to back out on you, Clef – even if I wanted to, I wouldn't leave you alone in this. Beside anything else, Lantis would have my head – if LaFarga didn't beat him to it!"

"I could hardly blame you if you tired of all-" She let him get no firmer, stopping his quiet comments with her fingers laid across his lips, closing them, and huffing in annoyance at him.

"How many times do I have to say it? Being bored, or tired of all the politics – that's not the point! I'm staying here as long as you are. No more, no less. I get tired of school sometimes. That doesn't mean I don't GO, with all the money my parents are spending to send me there, all the friends and commitments I have there; even because I know it will do me good in the future!"

Her hands had moved away from Clef's face so she could swing them about in emphasis; he smiled wryly at the temper he'd managed to provoke, accidentally, yet _again_. "What are you going to get out of this for your future? I can hardly see how being a competent mage-bodyguard will help you on Earth."

"Well, maybe my future won't BE on Earth!" She snapped, hotly, temper up enough she didn't notice his eyes widen. She was only barely keeping her voice down enough that they stayed hidden. "And dealing with a variety of different people, learning to be confident and all that stuff- ever heard of transferable skills?" (Not that he had, at least in those terms, but Umi wasn't stopping to think about what she said.) "And that's all despite the fact that my Father is basically a politician. If I DO stay on Earth, I may well end up following in his path. What could help me better there than real experience with politics?"

Umi ran out of breath, and stood looking up at Clef expectantly for a few moments. When he didn't produce any more arguments, she seemed to deflate, leaning back against the wall. The last comments were made without the heat behind them. "Spending my time learning a new language – writing system – whatever – is still going to be a better use of my time than running about having picnics and snowball fights with the others. And I don't WANT to be there. I want to be here, with you." She looked down. "_Helping_."

"I…" Clef shook his head, lost for words in the wake of Umi's outburst, and still aware they were running short on time. "Thank you, Umi. Again." He grinned at her, and she smiled back, a little slowly. "I believe you. I just… have a hard time believing ANYONE would volunteer to be here, listening to this lot of windbags. _I_ certainly didn't!" Which was more than true, and Umi had to laugh with him.

Clef bowed to her a little, still smiling, and swept his hand towards the door in such a gentlemanly fashion that Umi choked, trying not to laugh hysterically, and had to cough hard before she could get her breath back. "Shall we?" Clef grinned back, sounding lighter in that moment than he had since they'd arrived.

Of course, it couldn't last. As they walked forward and the light and noise of the Hall reached out to engulf them, the smiles and laughter fell away, leaving more serious expressions behind. Umi straightened as she swept out from the archway, a few paces before Clef, her head raised high and sweeping one long look about the room before fixing her eyes on the dais, and striding out purposefully. Clef followed on behind her, the long robes he wore making him sweep along far more than he strode.

With people's eyes turning to Umi ahead of Clef, when they turned at all in the rush to get settled, he was free to glance about the room without being seen to do so, for far longer than Umi had looked.

There were hundreds of people in the hall – the chances of spotting anyone reacting oddly to their appearance was slim, he knew, but he still couldn't help being disappointed when he reached the table with no better idea of who wanted them out of here.

Who would poison Umi to make it happen.

It was enough to make him wish he _wanted_ Umi to have had enough of all this, taken him up on any of his offers to leave, and gotten out of here before they even realised they had failed to harm her… but all the same, he couldn't help being glad she had stayed.

…now was not the time to be thinking about that. All the table but Kuregu were already present by the time he sat, and the last few stragglers were making their way through the rows around the back of the hall.

Umi sat beside him, and summoned her paper and pens with a slight flourish, glove gem glowing visibly a deep blue. It was the first time she'd drawn any attention to the jewel, and Clef thought he could hear a gentle buzz run about the hall, light enough to have been a mere rustling of papers. But still, he couldn't see anyone acting any more oddly than usual… Clef wanted almost violently to be able to see behind him, but not even he had eyes in the back of his head, and there was no spell to do so without it being obvious.

Besides, Kuregu was just walking in, and his chances of doing anything fled as the room came to order.

Kuregu's face was tighter than even usual this morning, his shoulders stiffer under the fierce embroidery of his clothes. A few of the fine lines on his high, pale forehead were drawn together into a frown, his lips pressed hard against each other – but his glare passed over Clef and Umi as swiftly as it did the rest of the room, showing no acknowledgement of them.

It was the delegation from Autozam the glare was aimed at, as he walked to the head of the table, fixing on them and staying there. The group of secretaries flocking about him, fluttering in their bright robes like a bunch of nervous butterflies, somehow only made attention focus on the still solidity of Kuregu's glare… the Autozamnians hunched further and further into themselves in the face of that look, all the colour drawn from their skin.

And then Kuregu was taking his place at the head of the table, and the glare disappeared into the usual stern face he wore.

Clef blinked. /_…What? What was that?_/ He glanced at Umi, then across the table at the Lady Eorl, whose questioning look mirrored his own. He shrugged, and looked back to Kuregu: there was no sign of anything on the man's face, he looked no different than usual, and he had just damaged Autozam's standing openly before the mob.

Umi jogged his elbow slightly, and he sat back. He couldn't see whatever Kuregu was annoyed about being of any relevance to him, or to Cephiro. Even if it _was_, he couldn't go about discovering it while tied to his chair by the hundreds of people, so he forced himself to push it away to the back of his mind… but not completely out of it.

He had more immediate concerns than Kuregu's moods. No matter how much he despised the man, he was certain Kuregu wasn't behind either the assassins or the poisoning attempt. It just… wasn't his style. Kuregu was _too _powerful to destroy anything he could use – he turned enemies into pawns, not gravestones.

The morning meetings began with a summation of the previous morning's discussion, read out by one of the various aides Kuregu brought with him. Today it was a young man with incredibly silky looking, raven black, layered hair, and eyes the same bright blue as a cloudless summer's afternoon, which he was taking every opportunity to flash around coyly at all and sundry. He stood casually in the light, flicking his hair about every so often so it gleamed in the best way possible.

Clef was busy ignoring him, looking through some of the notes he'd brought with him. Umi, on the other hand, was bemused – nearly hypnotised. /_…however long can he spend on looking after his hair?! The shampoo and masses of conditioner must cost him a small fortune… unless hair care comes as a job benefit working for Kuregu?_/ Her own hair took enough looking after.

The summation was really for the benefit of those who'd taken too much advantage of the free drinks supplied the evening before, whose memories might be a little fuzzy. Or their minds, for that matter. Neither Umi nor Clef were befuddled at all, so there was little enough reason to pay attention. Luckily, it didn't go on too long. A fairly heated discussion on trading tariff differences between inner and outer worlds opened up, which again seemed irrelevant for Cephiro, to Umi.

Until Clef began adding occasional comments to the discussion.

She began to pay attention to the arguers; it wasn't too hard to work out what was going on, as repeating half the argument every time they made a point seemed to be popular, if not effective at getting results. Many of the smaller border worlds felt the duties they had to pay for customs and transportation were too high, that those the inner worlds paid were much less, and that this was unfair to the outer countries.

It was a fair judgement, from what she could see – nearly all the countries on the table were inner worlds, Clef had put them on the scribbly map he'd drawn of the alliance a few days ago. As they were also (generally) the oldest and more powerful worlds, things had been set up to favour them in a lot of ways. And on that same map, Cephiro had been quite a way to one side.

Cephiro… was an outer world, then?

Thinking about it… that made sense. The precarious position on the table was hardly a surprise if that was so. Especially if it was true that the bottom seats on the table were often changing… Chizeta and Fahren were both border worlds – but unlike Cephiro, they had significantly more power and reputation. Chizeta, for one, had such a strong trading presence that the tariffs charged were hardly felt.

She looked across to the Chizetan group, absently, and started when she found Tatra gazing back at her steadily. The princess smiled brightly, and turned away – and Umi was left staring at the back of her head, the masses of red hair controlled somewhat by a looping net of thin plaits, clipped in place with tiny gems which glinted with every move Tatra made. They were, in fact, highly distracting – Umi struggled to pull her mind back to the discussion, enough that she had to wonder if the feeling was natural, or… enhanced.

Which unhelpfully made her want to look at Tatra again.

Why would she be trying to turn attention from the discussion? Or was it simply turning attention away from her actions, and onto her appearance?

Umi bit her lip, hard, and looked at her papers while she caught up with the talking. It seemed to be winding down – a good number of the smaller worlds were seemingly content with Kuregu's promise to bring the notion before the table, though most of the most strident voices seemed (rightly) dubious that would achieve anything. But they had run out of things to say, and Kuregu wasn't budging an inch, and the table was for the most part following his example.

And _that_ was when the slate haired, rat faced man both Umi and Clef had barely noticed, sat one seat across from Schwarzerm, spoke out.

"Honoured Representatives," He rasped, his voice sounding as if it would give way any moment as he raised it for people to hear him, cutting through the small pockets of chattering discussion from high in the shadows. "I feel this discussion has led us to a matter most serious-"

And that was enough to make Clef sit up straighter and pay attention, flashing a look about the table as he did so to see who else was reacting – who else might be suspecting something happening. At the head of the table, Kuregu hadn't moved; he still looked withdrawn and politely bored, while his Secretaries were still fussing about him in exactly the same way as before, no more nervous, and no less. The majority of the table was sharing much of Kuregu's bored look – the lady Regan, second in importance only to Kuregu himself and the Huginn-Muminn delegation on the table, looked as if she was asleep: her head propped up on her elbow, and her eyes mostly closed behind a long fringe of fine black hair.

The group from Autozam he looked at closer than the others – and, indeed, they looked… alert, fidgeting. Shifting their seats about restlessly and twitching their robes about them, they looked much like the youngest of the Three; Ash, of Norand. _His_ twitching stood out next to the studious indifference of the more experienced two, Robin and Elphinstone – of Mercia and Dalriada respectively – and it was common knowledge that though his country was highest on the table of the Three, Ash himself was guided by the other two in all decisions.

In fact, Ash's shifting was quite literally painful to the eyes to watch for too long. The lights hanging above the table were gleaming from his iridescent robes in a cavalcade of jarring reds and blues, which changed and stabbed out at different angles every time the cloth moved. Clef looked away from him quickly.

The Lady Eorl, seeing both Clef sitting up and Umi pausing in her writing practice to listen and look about from under the veil of her fringe, sat up herself and nudged the aides next to her into doing the same.

And Umi, looking about… she noticed Cerys, sat with the Huginn-Muminn reps, looking about in much the same manner as she and Clef were. At the moment, Cerys turned, met Umi's eyes… and looked away quickly without so much as a nod.

Umi stared, for a long moment. That… was unlike the woman she'd met, who she'd exchanged greetings with several times since. She'd have expected it of the man Cerys'd come to wake up, their neighbour – a sullen, glowering person. But not of…

And then Clef went absolutely still next to her, and she pulled herself back to listen to the still-speaking man. "…world can hardly afford to meet it's quotes _this _year, let alone if these rises in tariffs are passed – we are but a small world, and though our trade has been steady, the threat to our transports, our goods, merchants, citizens… to the very towns and cities of our world! Has been growing ever stronger – and the cost for one small world to defend itself, all alone, is phenomenal.

"I realise that such a threat must seem a distant, improbable – if not im_possible_ – thing to all of you larger worlds, safe in the centre of the Alliance – but for us who have to cling onto the fringes of your robes, your laws, to keep out of the grip of those worlds beyond, those worlds which have declined to enter into the safety, the regularity, the law-abiding family that is the Alliance, this threat is ever all too real.

"It grows stronger month by month, day by day. And if we fall to these… _outsiders_… then they will grow even more, on _our_ goods, _our_ wealth, and use it to approach ever closer and closer to you, trampling all of us worlds before them, until they have destroyed the very heart of the Alliance whose laws and peace they hate!"

He paused for a moment, and the absolute silence in the hall was a bad, bad sign to Clef. Looking across the table, across the section of the back benches before him, Clef could see far too many people listening avidly. The guy wasn't even the best speech-maker in the world, and people were hanging onto his words… though there were a good few who looked less than impressed so far. (Kuregu for one, whose bored look was now almost one of pain. Such amateur speeches he did NOT enjoy.) The Old One of Fahren, who had also taken his seat at the table this morning after being absent much of the time so far – due to some form of migraine, or so the gossip went – looked near horrified; Sang Yung beside him fidgeting nervously and making no notes at all.

The man went on, voice growing stronger still, even the rasping beginning to fade as he realised he was being listened to. "I have been implored by my people, the honest citizens of Peredan," (_aha_, thought Clef. _Ost, of Peredan, he has to be him…_) "to beg for the aid of our fellow brethren, members of the Alliance.

"If we cannot turn to you for defence from these attacks – if the countries of the Alliance cannot turn to each other for help – then what good will any of the decisions we make here do? What use spending all our money and time on transport routes, on trading agreements and tariffs to be implemented, if trade between our countries is so at risk that no ship dares leave the near safety of the ports?"

He – Ost – went on in that vein for a while, but both Umi and Clef had heard enough. Especially as Ost seemed to be getting carried away with his subject and the attention of his audience, his claims getting larger and larger as he went on.

"That's it." Clef murmured, more to himself than to Umi. "he hasn't come out and said it, not yet – but he's opened the doorway to it, made it too damn obvious where he's going with this lot… someone's going to suggest it. Someone always does."

"…" Umi looked at him, then across the table – to where the Lady Eorl was watching _them_, rather than the speaker, with what Umi considered an unhealthy amount of curiosity. Umi was certain that the Lady had just overheard Clef… or done her very best to, at least, and yet was showing no reaction one way or the other to _any_ of the words flying about the room. Umi had no idea what the other woman was thinking, and wasn't inclined to trust her in the slightest, no matter how much Clef seemed to do so. She was hardly the only person who could be listening in to any unguarded comments, either, and after all Clef's warnings to her – to do it _himself_…

The urge to thwack him on the arm was fairly strong, but then Clef's sudden lack of caution was probably due to his temper rising, and to have both of them lose it probably… wouldn't be a good thing. In any possible way.

Unless the hotel owner wanted a reason to redecorate the entire hall, perhaps…

But Clef noticed Umi going very still beside him, and looked up to see her glaring daggers at Eorl, across from them. He _huffed_ at the Lady, rolling his eyes. The slight, amused shrug she returned with wasn't reassuring in the least to Umi, but at least Clef didn't say anything beyond that – though how much that came from caution, and how much because the Pedredan guy had _finally_ stopped talking, Umi didn't want to know. She wasn't sure Clef would survive it.

And her mood wasn't improved when Clef was, depressingly enough, proved right within the next few minutes. One small, shrill, insignificant voice calling out "You don't – you _can't_ mean we should have a – an _army_, do you?"

"If that is what it takes to secure our safety." Replied Ost, with a graceful bow of his head. Clef wasn't sure – not from this distance – but he _thought_ he saw a sharp twist of a smile cross that face.

The room fell into silence, for a moment – the trough between waves of sound – and then redoubled. Only those sat round the table seemed to remain calm, but then they had few neighbours they free to chatter with – and a position of 'dignity' to uphold.

Kuregu stood, and the hubbub drifted away as the lights were moved to glow on him alone. The man was as impeccably calm and regal as ever, stood there, merely waiting for their attention; Clef had never wanted to punch someone in the face quite so much as at that moment. Which wasn't a politically or defensive feeling so much as his just really not liking Kuregu. Clef was nearly ashamed of it, so tried very hard to deny the impulse existed.

He didn't do particularly well, but at least he was trying.

Kuregu waited, past the point where people were quiet, until they were hushed - and feeling almost guilty. It was like being in school, all the small children and Kuregu, their teacher, in the centre. When he spoke, his voice rang… but the words were slow, and Clef nearly frowned at that. Hadn't Kuregu been waiting for this? The note of smugness Clef had expected wasn't there…

"My friends, the defence of the smaller worlds in the alliance has been on my mind as well, recently." Did he look around the table? Clef couldn't tell. "This is a grave issue – one which, now raised, deserves the whole and undivided attention of the table. The details of such a thing are a complicated matter, and one we will have to consider long and hard - I therefore declare this to be a closed issue for the table's consideration, if I may, until such a time as we have discussed the various possibilities, and can present them coherently to the entirety of the alliance, and not to waste valuable time discussing these smaller details in open session."

"…"

Clef sat back, looking up at Kuregu with a frown creasing his forehead.

_/ What's he up to? That … wasn't as enthusiastic as I expected. In fact … it wasn't enthusiastic at all./ _ Nevertheless, Clef cast his acceptance to the motion - closing the topic to the table gave them a little leeway before anyone had to fight this out in the main hall, which was a relief. It gave those supporting this time to gather their friends, and like minded people, as the ban only counted for the formal sessions, of course. Not informal discussion at mealtimes, or in the evening. But it also gave those against this proposal time to gather themselves. At the moment, if a vote was called, Clef had no support that he knew of. His enemies at least had the those who would vote with them regardless of the issue… a worryingly large number of them, actually.

…Then Clef realized how far ahead of himself he was getting, and nearly smacked himself across his own forehead in disgust.

/ O_ne thing at a time, now – one thing at a time ._/

Kuregu stood again, looking down at the screen set into the table before himself. "The motion is carried. As there are now only seven minutes before the bell will go for lunch, there is little point in opening up a new topic. Therefore I declare this session of the council is closed." He bowed, and walked off.

After a brief pause, the rest of the room caught up and began to file out noisily.

Clef gathered his notes, and Umi's disappeared in a swirl of blue lights, spiralling into her glove gem. Not intentionally, this time – he didn't _think_ so, anyway. But it still caused a gentle stirring among the others… and when Clef looked up, it was to find Marku looking hard at the two of them. Clef looked back, steadily, until he looked away - and they were filing out through the more open space of the middle passage.

"That little café, again?" Umi murmured, facing away.

"That's a good idea. It's more private than a lot of the places around here… we can talk about how your studies are going."

It drew an amused smile from Umi, if little more. "Because that's what I was concerned with this morning, of course"

He nearly even grinned back.

The little café they'd been to on the first day was still fairly quiet. And made to A table behind two tall plants and a paper screen, which was painted with tangled, twisting vines. The work was quite beautiful – the leaves looked as if they would start rustling in the breeze any second… and yet Umi was certain Clef hadn't seen it, beyond noting that it gave them cover.

/_You shouldn't be noticing it, either!_/ she chide herself, pulling her chair in. /_There are more _important_ things to be doing!_/ She looked across the table, and blinked.

/_Stopping Clef bending that spoon any further, for one._/

She reached out and took the said spoon from the mage, who'd been sat staring at nothing, idly playing with it; the handle was a _very _odd angle. She held it before him, light glinting from the once fine metal, and he coughed.

"What did it do to deserve _that_?" She pushed, amused. The exasperated Look Clef shot her said that he was _not._

"Umi-"

"A poor, innocent spoon, in the very _prime_ of it's life…"

"_Umi!"_

"…and what do you do to it? _Maul_ it! It's positively _deformed_!"

Clef flopped back in the chair, rocking it slightly, raising an arm to rest across his face. A deep sigh flung the trailing strands of his fringe about. "Will you quit it? You know very well why I'm distracted."

The screen hid him from the eyes of the rest of the room, as Umi'd hoped it would. It was busier than before: several of the other tables were taken by people she'd been introduced to at the evening drinks, and more were filled by people she'd not yet met. Only two of them had even made any inappropriate comment to her, which was lucky, or she'd have felt the need to sit behind the screen herself.

Dropping the spoon back onto the table, she smiled across at Clef, telling herself – again – to stop teasing him. Making Clef bristle was always too fun to be healthy.) "Distracted is one thing, destructive quite another." And she sat back to watch Clef resist the urge to throw something at her, hands clenching. "But seriously, Clef – what's so very bad about today? …Aside from breakfast, at least." She looked about at the peaceful groups of people, quietly efficient staff, and took in the warm, _welcoming_ scents of cooking emanating from the kitchen. "I mean, nothing happened that you didn't think was going to, after all."

Arm falling back to lay on the table, Clef still looked vaguely annoyed. "There's a difference between 'it _might_' and 'it _has_', Umi."

"Mm, but then, very little actually _has_ happened, if you think about it. Nothing's even been discussed yet – just brought up. There's no indication that there's any support for it – even that it will be seriously considered as an option, if we're talking about the idea of an army in particular. And Kuregu didn't seem as… interested with the topic as I'd thought he would be, that _has_ to be a blessing."

"…You caught that too?"

Opening his mouth to continue the thought, Clef was cut off by a brief shake of Umi's head. A waitress was bringing their first course across, and their conversation turned to polite nothings as she set the plates down.

"-thank you, yes, that's mine. I'm learning it quicker than I thought I would – I'm not usually the quickest at picking up new languages. I wasn't in school, at least… though I guess this is rather different."

A beat, before Clef caught on with the conversation Umi had invented. "Ah, yes, the writing… you really think it's going alright, then? I've never really taught anything quite like _that _before, just magic."

"Well, you're doing fine-" and a bright smile to complete the image.

The waitress, chatting with her friends back in the kitchens, mentioned little beyond how sweet the two looked, ensconced away in the corner like that. One man present could have guessed otherwise – he'd been showered with fruit this morning when it exploded from the bowl he carried… but he kept quiet, as he had then, and looked nowhere but at the sink in front of him, and the dirty utensils he should be washing. He was… confused, and more than a little suspicious of that explosion, and the smoothness with which the mage had covered it, but he wanted to have some answers before he spoke up, if he was going to be believed.

Outside, Umi stared down at her empty plate, and frowned. "…I can't believe how hungry I have been, here." Clef regarded her, his own fork half way to his mouth. "At home, we only have one large meal a day. But I've been eating a good breakfast – not today, but that's different still – two courses for lunch, and three for dinner… then snacks before going to bed, with the drinks if nothing else. It's… weird. I'll be fat before we get home if this goes on!"

At that, Clef just had to laugh. "It would take a lot to make you fat, Umi… if anything, a little more weight would do you good. You look altogether too thin at times – and magic can burn off a lot of energy very quickly, when you aren't expecting it to. The will may be the driving force behind magic… but it's the body which pays the price for it."

"…are you trying to say I look too thin?" One eyebrow raised, Umi set her glass down with an audible 'thunk' to stare at him.

"No! Well, I mean – " gesturing wildly with his hand as words deserted him, Clef nearly got his fork lodged permanently in the wall beside him. He stopped, laughed, and set it on his plate. "This isn't my day with cutlery, it would seem."

"That's your answer?"

He grinned at her. "Don't get crotchety – even you have to admit you're on the thin side of slender. I'm not saying it doesn't _suit_ you, it's just… well, I worry, sometimes. That's all. Worrying itself takes a lot of energy, as well – between the stress, the worry and the extra magic, a little more of an appetite that usual is only to be expected."

"…" Umi blinked at him, then stuck her tongue out, briefly forgetting that she wasn't hidden as well as he was. It was easier to fight off a rising blush if she held on to the annoyance, and refused to forgive him yet. (She didn't really want him knowing how easily he'd got himself off the hook, either.) "Well, _you're_ hardly the heaviest of people around."

Laughing again, Clef grinned over at her, and she lost the battle with the blush. "I know – which is how I know to be careful. I do eat more than Ferio or LaFargo, by quite a way. More than Lantis, too – but on a similar level to Ascot and Presea. Most mages – or those who use their will for the majority of their work, as I guess Presea would argue at being called a mage – struggle to keep weight _on_."

"I've never noticed you eating a lot." Umi was intrigued, despite herself. "I mean, you don't even eat breakfast half the time."

"Meh. Some days, pushing myself to eat before about midday only makes me feel ill." Grimacing, Clef waved a fork-free hand in emphasis. "I keep small amounts of food with me when I'm working, and snack after I've used any sort of magic. Without that, I'd probably end up stuck in bed for days, too weak to move."

"Really?"

"Yep. That's part of the tiredness you all felt the second time you came – without a pillar, magic was demanding more of the caster. But you weren't as tired otherwise as you thought you were, which was how you ended up restless, wandering the castle at all hours. Or so I'd guess."

"And you'd know, wouldn't you." She smiled a little, the evening visit to the Hall – to Clef – one of the fondest memories she had of that second trip. There weren't all that many of them, really. Seeing everyone had been good, but at the same time only reminded her of what they'd _done_, seen, things she'd only started to put behind her, and seeing her friends suffer through the consequences hadn't been pleasant… even now, she skipped past the memory quickly. "Aren't we getting off the topic here, though? I mean, we've only got…" Umi checked the clock above the door, thinking hard. "…about half an hour? Before the afternoon session begins."

Clef blinked, craned his neck to see the clock himself, then nodded, pleased. "Yes, that's right – and, yes, we've… _wandered_ a little, I guess. But what else SHOULD we be doing? You said it yourself, nothing's actually been discussed yet. Until we're in the middle of that…"

"Why are you so worried about it?"

Clef stared, Umi shrugged, and neither explained.

"…You're being fairly blunt today, aren't you."

"Well, I realise that forming an army and going after a group of neutrals is something you'd want to stop – but you wouldn't normally have _nightmares_ over something like that. It's… too distant from Cephiro. But you slept worse last night than you have since we've been here."

"…"

"What?" She sat back in her chair, the earlier blush vanished completely. "I woke up once or twice." /_When your dreams were so bad you were sending sparks across the room._/

"… and those nightmares couldn't have been triggered by someone trying to break into the room?" The merest corner of his mouth twisted into a smile as she stared him down, not buying it for a second. "They might have been!"

"_Clef._"

He looked away, and glared at the screen beside him. From this side, the vines painted on the reverse were visible as shadows, winding through the green leaves. Clef raised one hand to slowly trace the shadow-pattern. Umi waited him out, glad she didn't get his knife flung at her for snapping, pushing him. How many times could she get Clef riled up in one lunch break?

His voice was deeper than usual, low in his throat, as if he was having to force it. "It's… almost embarrassing, really. I may be seeing a threat where there IS none. But… if there _is_ an army, then the consequences for Cephiro…"

"Would be bad?" A wry smile crossed her face as she studied Clef's profile.

"Well, think about it. Where would the resources come from to support this army? A new kind of tax on the worlds? But you don't want _money_ for something like this, so much as you want…"

"…You want _soldiers_." Whispered Umi.

"Exactly."

"…Some sort of… conscription? Would that ever be accepted? I mean, the other worlds-"

"Almost all have some level of service demanded from every citizen, most often a few years in the national defence force."

"…damn."

"So it probably wouldn't take much convincing to make them give one or two of those years over to a large defence force. And when the view of Cephiro is considered – all those powerful mages, the view which supports our place on the table – which, supposedly, supports our _independence_ –"

"They'll try to use it to control our mages, and through them –"

"All of Cephiro."

"…"

They stared at each other, both quietly horrified, until Clef shook his head, and forced a small, choked laugh. "Of course, this is all complete conjecture. There's nothing to support such a motive existing – and as for whose motive it would even _be_…"

"But, then, we have no motive for whoever has been trying to assassinate the only person Cephiro has with any political weight, and any ability to stop such a plot."

Clef coloured, and turned back to the screen. His fingers would be rubbing the paint right off if this went on.

"And someone definitely did _not_ want us present at the talks today."

A pause, while a new waiter approached and took away their empty plates, leaving them with fresh drinks.

"Is… there any other reason you might be wanted out of talks on an army? Nothing else of importance came up today, and that guy had obviously been told to bring it up then, by someone. I don't think last night and this morning can have been a coincidence. Do you?"

Clef didn't respond, which was answer enough in itself, and Umi let it drop. There wasn't anything else she could think of to say.

Not many minutes late, they walked slowly into the massive emptiness of the hall. With only the central table lit again, and the glass in the ceiling gleaming redder than ever, the shadows about the room seemed to loom taller than before. Everything else was shrunk in comparison. The tense quiet about the table didn't improve it much.

Not even within the groups was there any of the normal light chatter, barely a murmur to soften the noise of their footsteps on the hard flooring. More than one of the people sat at the table turned to watch them proceed, silently. There was no welcome in those eyes, no smile, and Umi bit absently at her lip as she faced them, her own eyes narrowing in response.

As they slid into their seats, the table was half empty. Those remaining filed in quietly in the next few minutes – Clef didn't know whether to be cheered or worried by the sombre mood. People were obviously thinking hard about the 'defence of the alliance'. But… what way were they leaning?

Not for the first time, Clef wished he could read minds.

The entrance of Tatra, with her uniformed bodyguard and note-takers, startled most of the table; Tatra was chattering happily at her escort, and the noise seemed exceptionally loud.

The Princess of Chizeta was never anything but deadly serious about two things – her sister, and her country; the carefree face she presented to the world might or might not be real, but it wasn't the whole picture by a long shot. This was the woman who'd held a road in place against a desperate Eagle Vision… and neither Clef nor Umi would underestimate her.

The rest of the spaces filled quietly, and Kuregu swept to his seat once more, accompanied by only two of his secretaries and the tall, quiet woman who Umi had seen stood beside him several times, who had taken the seat closest to him every day.

"I suppose everyone knows what the topic of discussion is to be today." Kuregu began, managing to sound dubious about it while looking across the table – at Autozam, again, for the most part. "If no one has any other, more pressing business…? Very well, we shall begin the topic of defending the alliance against any physical threats. If anyone has any opening statement they wish to make?" This was the typical beginning to a debate – though one might have thought Kuregu would open up the discussion himself, for such an important point… Umi had given up trying to figure out what Kuregu was up to, however, merely noting it down.

As Umi had expected, Brooke's hand went up swiftly – Autozam had taken their lunch break to prepare something, if they hadn't had it before then. Robin of Mercia's hand went up for the three – again, no surprise whatsoever. A few others went up about the table, but no one Umi really knew about… and then, as Kuregu looked about, there was the sound of footsteps approaching the table again, harsh in the stillness.

Everyone turned, staring, at the woman appearing from the shadows of the tunnel – Umi wasn't the only one to reach quietly for her weapon, though she stopped just short of summoning it; only to relax again a moment later, realising the figure was someone she knew.

Cerys walked straight to the Huginn-Muminn group, ignoring the looks she was receiving, and set a sheet of paper before the representatives. Kuregu, too, had been watching this; when Jyuudi's arm raised negligently after a glance at the paper, he nodded to her, and the rest settled back down with a few grumbles. Brooke, in particular, looked more put-out than ever. The creases in his brow deepened, and he glowered down at the data-sheets before him. Umi shivered, and turned back to the head of the table, still watching him from the corner of her eye.

The words Jyuudi used, when she began to talk, were as blasé as her hand-wave had been. For a moment, Umi even felt empathetic to Brooke's discontent. (And that was a frightening thought…) but he could be just as condescending when he felt like it. Not that she particularly liked the Huginn rep, from what she was hearing in the low, accented drawl the woman used.

"…It seems that the easiest way to satisfy the questions raised today would be to just form a standing defence force of some sort, as was asked for – if it were stationed more in the outer worlds than the inner, and had stations along the trading paths, then an ample network to defend the interests of the Alliance could be made. The basis is already there, within the network of customs officials stationed on the trading roads, and organisation would be simple enough; in fact, the defence force could be merged with the officials, and take over the supervision of tariffs, and other such things. It could well, in fact, save money spent on the hiring of messengers and guards in the usual course of trade within the Alliance, and increase the amount of trade outside of it."

Looking about the table, there were all too many heads nodding away, or looking thoughtful. Those from Tuede, Whit… Gewaesc, Aquitaine, Gegnesburgh… Clef frowned, looked about, and saw no one about to move out and speak – except Brooke, who was failing to catch Kuregu's eye.

Clef looked to the head of the table, and shifted forward in his seat. Kuregu turned, gazed at him for a long moment – then nodded his approval, and Clef let go the breath he'd been holding to speak.

"I don't mean to be… disrespectful, to the honoured representative of Huginn, but isn't it rather too early to be thinking about the mechanics of a defensive force such as this, when I'm sure that many amongst us – and the wider alliance – do not see that such a force would be in our best interests?" He began, forcing his voice to remain firm, though he wasn't at all certain he had the support his claims needed.

And it was very hard to keep a straight face when claiming he didn't want to be disrespectful to a group of people he would quite happily squash under other circumstances, but then, that was his job.

The table was watching him- the _entire _table, and he'd only had this much of their attention once before, when he was first introduced to them. But he didn't have the time to be apprehensive… _/stop it. Concentrate. You have to talk, and you have to do it _now.

And, to his surprise, he did.

He laid out for them most of the problems he saw, the general ones: concrete things, not 'I think someone's going to start a war and use my people to do so'. The issues with funding notwithstanding, how many of the outer worlds would feel threatened by such a force, how many of the inner worlds would want to support something they felt wasn't going to benefit them? And, in the end, where was the need for such a force?

"We in Cephiro are an outer world, and yet we have never felt threatened by any of our neighbours – especially those beyond the Alliance –" with a small smile of acknowledgement at the Old One, who was nodding at him, and Tatra – whose expression hadn't changed yet, still smiling seemingly openly. "Instead, we have always dealt with them just as easily as we have with the alliance. Indeed, a larger proportion of our trade comes from them; an armed force would surely do more harm than good to our relations, which are currently so peaceful and beneficial."

There Clef trailed off, unsure if he should leave it at that for the moment, or go on. He didn't want to give away any of the more specific arguments… but the ones he had given took only Cephiro as their basis, and if anyone thought to point out the flaw with doing so…

His decision was made for him by Brooke, who spoke up impatiently, tired of waiting for Kuregu to give him permission when it wasn't forthcoming. "But then, Representative Clef, Cephiro is on the opposite side of the Alliance to most of the other worlds: if I remember it rightly, there are actually very few worlds near to you at all, and most of those are small and not particularly powerful. And as for your trade… I believe that you actually have very little trade, overall, especially when compared to such a world as Pedredan, whose economy is mainly supported by the trade they have with the other members of the Alliance. You have to forgive me, but I don't see how _your_ claims can be taken as strongly as _theirs_."

And then he had the temerity to _smirk_ at Clef.

He had nearly composed himself enough to reply, when he was beaten to it – a slight shuffling of papers around the table warned him in time to look to Kuregu, just as the man nodded at someone else – who? He had been so focused on not losing his temper he hadn't noticed anyone asking permission…

Umi sat back in her chair beside him, an almost inaudible 'hmmm' in her throat, and then Tatra was speaking, and Clef understood.

"Representative Brooke, I understand how you might think that – but then, Autozam is even more isolated than Cephiro, is it not?" And she smiled sweetly at the startled, unsettled man. Whichever quarter he'd been expecting resistance from, it hadn't been her. She wasn't done yet, either. "Where as my country is right in the centre of the borderlands – even more than Pedredan, I think!" Laughing lightly, Tatra still gave off the impression of being totally unconcerned with what she was saying.

Brooke looked as if he didn't know what to think, staring at the Princess in something like horror. He wasn't even the only person to be doing so. Clef was willing to bet a number of those on the table had been quite happy when Tatra began to turn up without her sister… perhaps now they were going to learn better.

"And Chizeta is also quite the power in trade in that area, I'm certain I've heard people saying that. I know that practically all our trade comes from the outer lands, and those beyond the Alliance, despite how much we seem to hold with all of the inner countries. We have all sorts of meetings and visits with them, and I agree with Representative Clef – I cannot believe that there is any sort of a threat from the worlds beyond us, and I'm sure my parents wouldn't want me to do anything that could put Chizeta in such a conflicted position. I mean, with how important the other countries are to us… well, we might even have to leave the alliance ourselves!"

Clef _cheered_, inside, where he couldn't be heard – that was what he'd held back from doing, without the position to make it a so strong a threat… but to lose _Chizeta_ to the other side… There was a stunned rustling and murmuring about the room, and a good few people were staring at Tatra, as if they'd never _seen_ her before, plainly trying to work out if she knew what she had just suggested.

Quite a lot of them seemed to be coming to the conclusion that she didn't but was a threat anyway, because she could actually _do_ that without needing anyone else's approval; one of the perks of being both elected diplomat and a member of the royal family. But some of them were seeing beyond the smile.

And with the people looking first to her, then to him…

Clef had the support, he realised, suddenly, to give weight to his earlier words – Tatra had handed it to him, at just the right moment. Now, they at least had to think about it, discuss it – they couldn't dismiss him.

Slowly, Kuregu prodded the various representatives into an actual discussion – but the two most common voices were plainly Clef's and Brooke's, the others mainly happy to wait and listen for the moment. The session ended without anything in particular being discussed; no one could agree where they should be starting to discuss things, which was annoying Clef no end, on one level. But his hopes were slightly lifted, and the smile he gave Tatra when they left the room at the same time was bright, and real, and received a quick grin in return.

By the evening's meeting, everyone either knew what had happened in the afternoon session, or was being told. Clef and Umi walked in, and a wave of silence spread out from the door, and across the room. The number of measuring, calculating looks sent at Clef was enough to get under Umi's skin, and she stepped in front of him, deliberately, raising her left hand to push her hair back… and make sure the light glinted from the gem she wore on her glove, still.

It worked, again, most people looking away, or at least flushing. But there were still a good number of less antagonistic people looking towards them… Clef took her arm as they made their way to the long buffet table, drawing alongside her to whisper in her ear. "Let them look, Umi – there's a good chance we'll be approached by people who want assurance they have someone of the table who thinks the same way as they do, no matter how weak that place is. If we can reassure them, and they speak against the plan…"

"I understand." She replied, and then Clef's words were being proven true beyond anything he could have imagined, as person after person made their way up to them. Some came inconspicuously, trying to not be noticed, not wanting to throw their name to either side yet, and wanting reassurances; some came out of curiosity, more than feeling; and some came openly to offer their support, and their thanks.

Umi calculated they'd met a good quarter of the representatives by the end of the evening, and Clef was standing taller than before, beginning to be hopeful. And some of the groups who had already sided openly with those for the force were looking at them with decidedly unhappy faces, and Clef struggled not to laugh when he caught their eyes. Not maliciously – just in disbelief that there was this much support, this quickly. It almost guaranteed that the Army talks would stutter and stall along again tomorrow – and Clef would take more time any way he could get it, with thoughts of all the research he needed to do into the laws of the Alliance, and of the individual member countries… the more obstacles he could find, the better.

Somehow, everyone seemed to be seeing him as the head of the 'against' group, and he wasn't going to shy from the role… despite the niggling voice telling him he was in far, far over his head.

This was beyond representing Cephiro, and likely to make him – them – a good many enemies. In fact, he was certainly making himself a larger target than ever before, but the joy at so many _allies_ was too strong for him to care about that, at least until the drinks were finished and the hotel workers were moving swiftly about the last stragglers to clear up the mess, and begin preparing for breakfast.

They were virtually the last ones out of the room, Clef still speaking quietly, calmly, to a final group of listeners. As they fell away and left the room, talking thoughtfully to each other, Umi sighed and stretched her arms out above her head.

Her back clicked, and rolled her shoulders. "Can we go now? I don't know about you, but I'm tired of hearing you say the same thing to every person that comes up to us – and that was a lot of people." She dropped the glass she'd been carrying around onto the tray of a passing waiter-turned-cleaner, suddenly realising she was still clutching it. "Good thing that's been empty for a while, or I'd have dumped juice in my hair." She muttered, and got a stifled chuckle from Clef in response.

"I think we can leave." He replied, his voice a little rough, a little low, from all the talking he'd been doing. And it _had_ been repetitive, and it had started getting on his nerves… he was just still more glad than anything.

Umi looked so relieved he couldn't help but smile, only to choke on it when an unwelcome voice cut in.

"Well, well. Still drinking your sorrows away, I guess, Clef?" Brooke drawled at them, comfortably unfriendly in front of hardly anyone but the hotel people. "I'd have thought you'd have better things to do, especially with the company of your beautiful… companion." And his eyes raked across Umi, bringing an angry flush to her cheeks. Only Clef's hand on her arm stopped her from stepping forward and _hitting_ the man.

Leaning forward, Clef let his lips brush her ear as he whispered softly to her, looking through Brooke coldly the whole time. "Don't give him what he wants, Umi. He's just trying to get a reaction. Jealous. Let him stay like that." Louder, he addressed the glaring man directly, tone still unfailingly polite… though he stayed where he was, leaning deliberately into Umi's side. "One might ask you the same question, Brooke. In fact, one might ask why you are still here when no one seems to want to talk to you. But then, one would have to _care_. Good night."

Umi huffed, but the tension across her shoulders faded, and she turned away to walk to the door when Clef did, his arm still wrapped familiarly about her waist. Twisting her head to speak to the mage, she could see Brooke glowering after them, and leant in a little further than was strictly necessary to whisper in Clef's ear. "And that's what you call a non-reaction? It didn't seem very friendly to me… not even genial."

"Well, it was less reactive than, say, punching him in the face, and he can't possibly say I threatened him, so _I _think that counts as unreactive." Umi rolled her eyes, and poked him in the side with a finger for being annoying, then yawned while he spluttered at her, torn between laughing and retaliating.

Umi dragged Clef back to their room, almost literally, and in the soft darkness of the corridors both his tiredness and doubts began to make themselves known. The hotel was quiet, and even the tread of their feet made little noise on the thick, dark carpets. Clef stumbled once on the stairs. Umi caught him before he fell into a plant, and he was more careful after that, forcing his eyes to focus properly on where he was going.

When they reached their room, which – thankfully – hadn't been touched this time, and he didn't immediately go to bed… Umi leant over the back of his chair and _stared_ at him as he rummaged through the papers and books he'd brought with him, scattering them across the table and half the floor.

"…Clef, go to bed." She said, finally, when she got her voice back.

He hummed absently in response. "In a bit – I just have to read through some of this first, find some decent arguments that I can use tomorrow…"

"…" Leaning down to see what he was doing, Umi grimaced at the still mostly-incomprehensible texts he was flipping through. To her eyes, the letters looked more like a spider had fallen into an inkpot then gone dancing than anything legible.

She couldn't help, but she resolved to make Clef get _some_ sleep tonight, at least. "I'm going to have a shower, and if you don't pack this lot up when I get back, I'm going to let my hair _drip_ all over it. You'll have to go to bed when the ink runs so much it's illegible, right?"

"Um-hmm." Clef didn't look up, probably hadn't heard what she said, and she left him to it while she had that shower and tried not to fall asleep standing up. With the water pounding down on her head, across her face, and a decent amount of privacy for once… she even let herself think about that morning, briefly.

Sinking to her knees, Umi clenched her trembling hands into fists, then loosened them to wrap her arms around herself tightly.

She'd avoided it, all day… any thought of turning, seeing that man covered with what was meant to be her food, what she should have sat down and eaten and…

Quarter of an hour later she got out of the shower, and any sign of weakness was gone, tucked back behind her smile. It was okay – she was okay, really. Nothing she'd told Clef all those times was a lie; she wanted to be here, and she'd known what she was getting into before she arrived. Had a fairly good example of it, in fact – _bright blade glinting slashing down too close pale skin RUN_ – but…

It was annoying that he was right. "It might" and "it has" _were _different.

She wrapped a towel around her shoulders over her nightclothes, and wandered back out with her hair dripping to threaten Clef's paperwork some more. It didn't take long before he gave in, shuffling them together with a look at her that was meant to be a glare, but turned out more grateful than anything.

Umi scrambled into her bed, and waited until Clef had actually lain down in his before she gave in to the heaviness she could feel weighing her down into the softness of the mattress, and slept.

Clef could tell when she fell asleep; her breathing deepened, slowed down, and her presence in his mind faded down into a soft blue glow of resting magic, the bond with her God quieting.

If he wanted to, he could get up now, and do more work, and she'd never have to know… he should. There was more to read through than he'd remembered, and time was certainly not with him…

But then, Umi would probably wake up as soon as he got out of bed, and pout at him.

Besides, he'd already lost so much time humouring her and getting ready to sleep… and he was exhausted, head aching merely from the act of staying awake. Maybe he could just give in to her, this time…

And then Clef slept, and dreamt… and woke, a few hours later, gasping for air – for space, with a ringing in his ears and a tightness in his chest and a deep, deep unsettled feeling. He fell out of bed, and Umi made it to the bathroom just in time to see him throw up, half choked, pale and shaking.

"…And what is this in aid of?" She asked, voice soft, but with a tightness to the grip on his shoulder that he understood,and would reach out to grab her if it didn't feel like he was holding his stomach inside with the arms pinned about his chest.

"It's not" and she had to wait again while he shuddered, his stomach empty, but still rejecting. "It's not… not a poison, If that's what you're thinking. Not a… not something I ate. It's…" and he forced himself to concentrate, to actually answer her, because he knew what it was, but he didn't _know_, too busy feeling the side effects.

"It's Autozam." He choked out, eventually, frowning a little. "And Cephiro. They just… something went from one to the other, a surge of power, a surge in people's emotions… or…" His stomach convulsed again, and he doubled up once more, moaning slightly, intensely grateful for the regular strokes of Umi's hand on his back, something regular to hold on to. The warmth through the thin material of his shirt was nice, too; soothing, and he was leaning over curled almost on her lap by the time he stopped shaking that badly, and could think again.

"Feel any better now?" She murmured, voice low, and Clef thought about sitting up. The next tremor running through him decided him against it.

"Yes, lots." And he grimaced, and Umi was, apparently, a mind-reader, because the next thing he knew she had dumped the toothbrushes out of their glass, and filled it with water.

He stood, gingerly, leaning heavily against her – though heavily was a relative concept, with Clef – and rinsed his mouth out, pulling a face. Which was about the point he realised Umi must have summoned that water, because although the glass had been in reach, she'd have had to move him to get at the taps.

/_I… missed a spell, right over my head?/ _He stared at Umi, for a long moment, and she blinked back at him uncertainly. /_That… that can't be good. I mean, even if I'm getting used to Umi's presence…/_

_/I guess I wasn't feeling well, and with two worlds demanding my attention… maybe/ _

"…Clef?" Umi waved a hand in front of his face, and he jumped. She turned a hard look on him. "Are you alright? You aren't going to throw up again, are you?"

"No, I'm okay. I mean…" He waved a hand through the air, and cursed when he whacked the back of it on the sink. Umi grabbed it, and held it firmly away from everything, staring at the slash of bright, stinging red across the centre where it had struck the cold porcelain.

"That doesn't look particularly alright. It looks like one of Hikaru's alrights; utterly worthless." She glowered at him.

Clef yanked his hand away and pressed it to his chest, able to feel each of the small, fragile bones aching. He'd flung it out so hard… Umi wasn't looking away, and he huffed at her, and turned his eyes to stare at the blandness of the ceiling.

"I'm tired. I feel ill. I'm hundreds and thousands of miles away from my world and her support, and she just used me as a conduit to throw support to her sister." He snapped, and tried to ignore the warmth of Umi's hand about his shoulders, keeping him steady. "It was a lot of power. It shook me up a bit. That's _all_. I'm fine, I'll feel perfectly normal again in a moment-"

"But this is now, not 'in a moment', and you're shaking." She told him, firmly, pulling him over to sit on the edge of the bath.

"…I'm too tired to get angry. Or you'd be in trouble right now." He muttered, and his voice felt distant to even him, disconnected.

Draping a clean towel about his shoulders in lieu of a blanket, Umi kept rubbing his back gently. "Yeah, whatever, Clef… just sit still for a moment, alright?"

It was… disturbingly easy, to just give in and let her look after him. It had been so long since he'd had anyone who would really do that… just stand there, and let him lean, and never move away… his tired thoughts were drifting slower and slower, in circles.

By the time Umi got him back into his bed, face and hands washed, he was practically asleep. He didn't even feel it when she ran her fingers through his hair, brushing his fringe away from his face.

End Chapter Eight.

…thank god that's over. #sighs# I really hate this chapter. But never mind… it can only get better from here, right?

I'll see you in a better mood in December. XD


	9. Chapter 9

AN: This is, quite possibly, the latest chapter of anything _ever. _

I can't really apologise enough for that. If there is anyone still reading this who began when I started posting, I really, really hope it's enjoyable to read! Also, you have great stamina!

It's been written over four years, in two countries, and borne the brunt of my revisions as I literally lost the plot I was writing (when moving countries, _make sure you know where your notes are_. This would seem to be logical, and yet!) and had to rework it... three times. Life happened. And then didn't for a while. But there is 50,000 words of this unposted, I am even fonder of Rayearth than before – due in part to finally being fluent enough in Japanese to read the original, which carries its own problems with writing fic! – and I swear _I will finish this_.

Hopefully this doesn't feel too jerky, given the amount of rewriting its taken over the years. The things I classed as 'the interesting bit' when I began writing are finally beginning to happen after this. ^^;

The next chapter might take a few months – life is beginning to happen again, after a long break, and I daren't promise anything too closely with my track record! But I cannot lose the plot again, at least, and I'll do my best.

As always, comments are all welcomed, though given my own lurking tendencies I more than understand feeling too shy to do so. XD (Is there anyone out there? That's the question...)

One final thing – the comments and story alerts and things coming in, just one or two, every so often, have cheered me up enormously and kept me going on this on many bad days, particularly in the last two years. Thank you, so much, to every one of you, and to everyone who is putting up with my rambling now. You're all awesome! ^^

~down

Nine: The Gathering.

This morning, it was Umi who stopped the alarm clock blaring.

It was getting louder and louder, madly irritating even through the quilt Umi curled below, and Clef _wasn't switching it off_. She pushed one hand out into the chill of the morning air and flailed it about until her fingers fell onto an abandoned pillow. She grabbed the edge and flung it across the room as hard as she could. Well, as hard as she could without sitting up. Or exposing more of herself to the cold than she had to. And as soon as she let go of the thing she woke up enough to worry about hitting Clef - with either the pillow or the clock - and had to sit up anyway.

The shrill beeping cut off with a clatter as the covers slipped from her head. It looked like she hadn't got Clef with anything. She'd knocked his bedside table over when the pillow slammed into it (which was a fairly good shot, even if she _had_ been aiming higher); the alarm clock had fallen and shattered on the floor.

…Which made her wonder just how much damage Clef had done to the thing before. Clocks weren't meant to just _smash_ like that.

Clef was curled in his bed, utterly untouched, and the duvet pulled high over his shoulders. One of his eyes was open a slit, just visible through the tangled mess his hair had become overnight, but even as Umi made it to upright it closed over the blue shard.

"Mornin', Clef." She said, and yawned widely enough her jaw ached. There was a robe dropped on the floor within arm's reach, and she dragged it across and over her shoulders as she stood. It fell in place and she realised it must be Clef's outmost layer from yesterday - and that he was _not _getting it back. The fabric was heavy and soft, it had a velvety warmth that nearly reconciled her with being out of bed. Wrapping it tighter about herself, she wandered across to the kettle, yawning again.

One day she'd have to ask Clef just where the kettle had come from. If he'd borrowed it from somewhere, or brought it with him, or if the organisers had just known him well enough to leave it outside with the clean linen. (A downside to shielding the room: they had to change the bedding themselves. Of course, as Clef had a spell that did even that, it wasn't much of a problem.)

There was enough water in it for a few cups, thank the gods - all she had to do was tap the river-worn pebble set into the base, and the kettle started glowing softly. No one could get into their rooms to see what they'd used and leave them supplies, so Clef had been picking up extra teabags at every opportunity. They left bowls of assorted bags out in the dining halls, with large urns of hot water so people could get themselves refills without waiting for the kitchen, so it wasn't too much trouble. Umi grabbed two randomly and thumped the kettle on.

Hot and caffeinated sounded wonderful right now, even if Clef never thought to filch any lemon or sugar. (Milk she could understand leaving, as they had nowhere to keep it, but she preferred _something_ in her tea.) She'd even seenClef add sugar and drink while pulling a face.

Turning to the beds, Umi huffed at the unmoving lump that was Clef. "Are you going to fall out of bed again? Don't crack your head on the table, if you do - it'd be messy, that."

Clef flopped over lethargically and propped himself up on his elbows. He blinked slowly in her direction. "…fall out of bed _again?_ When did I do it the first time?"

"The first morning here."

"Oh." Clef yawned, but struggled his legs free of the twisted bedclothes to sit against the headboard. "No wonder I don't remember…"

"You _were_ rather like a zombie." Umi grinned, but Clef just kept blinking at her. "Uh. You don't know what a zombie is, do you."

"No. And whatever spell of translation Mokona granted us, it doesn't know either."

Grimacing, Umi waved her hands in the air. "Right. Zombies are… well, not-dead dead people? Who try to eat you?" Clef just stared at her sleepily. "…I can't explain zombies before I'm awake, sorry."

Clef laughed a little, his voice low and rough with sleep. Eyes slipping closed again, he said "I wouldn't understand it if you did anyway, before my tea. Never mind that - just tell me the kettle's boiling?"

She waved a teabag at him. "Don't worry! _I_ don't want to face a caffeine-less mage anymore than you want to _be_ one. It's nearly done. Hold on a minute and I'll even bring it over." She delivered as promised, one full mug pressed into his hands. Clef's nose nearly brushed the liquid as he curled about it, breathing in the steam.

Still. "What have I done to warrant this treatment, Umi?" He asked, eyes closed in a deceptively patient manner as he waited for the tea to cool. "…Or what do you _want_ me to do?"

"Maybe I'd like you to kidnap a lemon next time you grab tea bags, or at least the sugar bowl." She retorted. He looked up in time to catch the face she pulled at him. "How you prefer your tea like _this_ all the time_…_"

"It's _quicker_, and I don't believe you for a moment. What's the real reason?"

Umi looked down. "Well. You weren't very well, last night, _and_ you were trying to work ridiculously hard again." She paused to blow softly on her tea, and dropped her voice lower. "If you're not going to look after yourself, I guess it's my _job_ to do so."

Clef said nothing, and she didn't look up. "Well, it's my job even if you are, I guess." She added.

"…That." Clef said, finally.

"_That_'s about right." Umi abandoned Clef's side, and stomped across to her own bed. "Do you have any more of an idea what happened?"

Clef sipped his tea before he turned to her. Umi's foot tapped the floor in a jagged rhythm. "You think I wasn't telling you the truth last night?" He asked, too mildly.

Rolling her eyes seemed a better bet than throwing her remaining pillow, given the remnants of the clock across the floor. "_No._ I think you were so _out of it_ I can't see how you could've known _what _was going on." She retorted.

Clef watched her a moment, then drained half his mug, and it might have been the caffeine kicking in, or something, but he didn't look quite so stiff anymore. Umi stopped tapping again and took another drink. The tea was still too hot, but at least it nearly hid the dry-bitter taste of the tannin. Whichever variety she'd given herself, it was _not _a favourite. "…Have I ever done anything _but_ believe you - about things which weren't about yourself, I mean?" she asked, and was almost curious about the answer.

"…Not that I know of. Beyond the day we met, which was the only sane thing to do." Clef said, and then fell silent to finish the mug in a slightly more controlled fashion. He didn't look away, making it an 'I'm thinking about your question' pause, rather than 'I'm pretending you didn't ask me a thing'.

The dregs of the tea were defeating Umi when he spoke. He was frowning, and she swallowed her mouthful hastily. "I was right, Umi, no question of _that_ - I've felt enough of these surges in the past few years to know that in a _coma_." She would have said something there, but he waved the mug at her and continued. "Normally Cephiro shields me from the worst of the shock it causes. We're just too far for her to buffer for me, out here. That's simple enough. What I _don't _know is _why._"

"…Why we're too far away?" Umi blinked, confused, and thinking longingly of cappuccino.

Clef shook his head sharply. "No, why there was a surge in the first place."

"Hmph. S'not like I can read your mind, Clef - if this happens often enough you recognise it that well, why's it a surprise?"

"Because Autozam hasn't needed anything more than a low-level support for half a year, now. It… might mean that something's _wrong_ with her, but from here, and without Vision in contact with us…"

"…What should we do, then?"

Clef drained the last of his tea, and reached out to set it on the bedside table. "We call home and see if _they_ know." He glanced at his hand briefly, then leant over the edge of his bed to stare at the toppled shards of clock. "…And you're paying for _that_."

"Do you know what time it is, there?" Umi asked as the comm went through. Shaking his head, Clef was about to reply but the screen lit up to show a yawning technician, bleary eyed and in a rumpled jacket.

"Helloooooooooo~" he yawned, then forced his eyes open. "Cephiro transfer station receiving. How may I - oh! Hello, sir." One of the tech's hands tugged his clothes straighter, the other tried to flatten his hair. It was a wasted effort, given the results. "I'm sorry, sir. We weren't expecting any calls this late."

"No, no - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Unknown time difference."

"I understand, sir. What may I do to help you tonight?"

Glancing at Clef, Umi tried to read his hesitation - would he still ring through? Or would he use this as an excuse to drop the whole issue…? She tugged the robe tighter about herself, and wondered if it would be worth putting the kettle on again.

"If you would connect me to the watch room in the castle, as long as you can raise someone." Clef said, and the man nodded back at the mage.

"Yes, of course. Please wait one moment, sir-" The image of the operator disappeared, but instead of the blankly glowing screen Umi had seen when someone was using the comm on Cephiro, the image of a plant grew across the display. Tangled vines spread and twined with each other, growing first small and wicked looking thorns, then buds which burst into leaves and small, pretty flowers.

Umi was about to ask Clef about it, because what the hell? But then she _got _it, and laughed helplessly instead. "Does that always appear?" She asked, instead.

"When people from outside Cephiro comm in, yes." Clef said. She could only see his profile, but it was easy enough to tell he was trying not to grin.

"Very subtle, Clef." She snickered again at the picture. "Very pretty thorns your country has!"

"_Subtle _might be stretching it. But then, it was Ferio's idea, I think. Back when Eagle was helping us set the whole communications system up. We needed something which moved to show people were still connected…"

Umi was still laughing when the flowers disappeared, replaced by a Lantis who was the closest to ruffled she'd seen in a long time. He was in a plain shirt and trousers, having been dragged out of bed, and looked smaller without the armour. But his expression was as bland as ever. "Hello, Clef, Umi."

"Good evening, Lantis. Or is it past midnight? I didn't think to ask." Clef said, brightly, and Umi just barely caught herself from twisting to stare down at him again. "Sorry to rouse you from your bed - though, come to think of it, you did order me to report _any _incident to you, no matter the time."

*_…Ah. I guess he's still mad at them._*

Lantis managed to give the impression of slumping back into his chair without actually moving, which was impressive. "It's half three in the morning." He said, and left it at that.

"Ah, well. You can go back to bed in a moment." With that Clef dropped the neon glee, settling back in his own chair until his shoulder rested against Umi's hand on the backrest. "But before you do, I need a status check running on Autozam. Unless you've heard anything of significance I won't have?"

Lantis was pressing buttons somewhere off the screen even before Clef finished speaking, the low hums and chimes echoing back over the comm as he navigated the strange Cephiran-Autozamnian hybrid computer-like things. "The charts are coming up-" something beeped louder, and then Lantis leaned further out of their line of sight. "I haven't heard much more than you were able to report, unfortunately. There's been a takeover of some sort, and Eagle is out of power and missing." Umi's hand slipped from the back of the chair right onto Clef's shoulder, and she thought she felt him press back against it for a moment. "Along with a goodly number of other politicians and influential military leaders. A few academics as well."

"…The people studying the ecology of Autozam and overseeing the regeneration project." Clef stated, flatly. Lantis appeared back on the screen to nod grimly.

"Yes. Clef… rumours state that several of them have been found dead. One apparent suicide, two 'tragic accidents'. The current leadership, whoever they are, are restricting information going out of the country, but their control is not as strong as they would like. There is talk of mob scenes among the populace, rallying to support one side or the other - but all the stories contradict each other. No aliens are getting off world. We have had no contact with our mages who were helping the regeneration project, either."

Umi shivered deeper into her borrowed robes, and realised Clef had noticed when he reached up and lay his hand over hers. Clef's voice was grim. "I was hoping for somewhat better news, but at least I wasn't actually expecting it. What about the chart?"

Turning from the screen again, Lantis paused, eyes tracking something back and forth. He was lit by a blue glow from the screen he looked at, then the light faded and there was a shriller beep than before. "Fairly level across the past week - apart from a massive power burst about five hours ago. Nothing's coming up as the trigger for it. You felt it?" Clef nodded. "And you are fine?"

"Shouldn't he be?" Umi asked, too sharply. The fabric of Clef's robe creased under her hand. "If you should be staying in bed, Clef…"

The mage pushed her hand away and dropped it. "I said I'm _fine. _It was a bad jolt, but I've felt a lot worse! Everything evened out quickly enough." But Clef wasn't looking at Umi, and she turned from him to Lantis. Lantis was watching them both, but after a moment he leant back in the chair and lost the pallor reflected on his face from the glowing console. Umi took that as her answer and relaxed while the guard spoke.

"Very well. Do you want us to investigate further? We had been keeping as clear as possible from showing interest in the situation, given the message passed to you, but we could make some quiet enquiries... we aren't even getting the normal feed of information from the computers on Autozam. They have cut us off entirely. All I can tell is that the spike happened."

Clef hesitated, but eventually sighed loudly and shook his head. "No, I think we should leave it all alone for now. The Representative from Autozam is being actively hostile towards us, the last thing we need is stirring them into trying to terminate the link, or something else just as foolish. Best to appear neutral to the whole thing for as long as possible. Make sure the Envoys all know?"

"Understood. I will. …Did you have other questions?"

Clef shook his head firmer this time; it set the long strands of his fringe spilling down over his face and he pushed them back impatiently. "No. You should get back to sleep. We have to get out of here anyway, or we'll be late to breakfast again."

"Again?" Lantis poked, a smile lurking in his eyes. Clef glared back and ignored him.

"I'll call through again if anything else comes up. Rest well, Lantis. …And don't worry too much about him. You know how resilient he is."

Lantis nodded slightly. "Have a good day, both of you. Try not to kill anyone." He said.

"By which you mean 'each other', I assume." Clef rolled his eyes, but made no promises.

The screen flashed blankly blue before powering down. In the next moment Clef was standing up, moving away quickly to gather up his notes. "Come on. We don't have long to get downstairs."

"…Yeah, sure." Umi watched him a moment, then went quietly to get dressed.

By the time she was presentable, so was he - but he hadn't spoken again, or looked at her. "…Clef?" she asked, uncertain. Everything seemed very strange and unfamiliar at that moment, from the clothes she wore to the hunched line of Clef's back.

He kept on picking up the dirty mugs, but at least he answered her. "I can look after myself, Umi."

"…You-" she began, and stopped, unsure what to say. She took a few helpless steps forwards. Clef's anger was familiar, but this… wasn't it, really.

"Things out of the ordinary - assassins, explosions, whatever - alright, fine, you force me to say that backup is useful." He walked to the door and stood there, still not looking back and his hands full of china. "But I'm _not _like Hikaru. I know myself, my limits - I've lived with them for long enough, I know how far I can push them. I _know_ you've seen me violate that, but that was different, desperate. This _isn't_, and if I did that here, I'd be putting _you_ in danger - trust me to not do that, at least. Please."

He opened the door and stepped out of the room before she could process his words. Umi remembered, somehow, to drag the laundry trolley into the corridor and push it behind a convenient potted fern, so it could be collected and washed. Clef wasn't the only one to keep his room off limits to the staff by any means, but it was the only one on the floor. Umi didn't _like _leaving the trolley out like a huge flag to their door. Clef dumped the mugs on top of it, and went back to prod at the wards.

As he stood there, pale silver light reflecting over his face and bleeding the colour from his skin, she looked the other way down the empty corridor and muttered: "I _do _trust you, Clef. But I can't stop worrying - that's because I _care_, alright? I see you working so hard and wish you didn't have to do it _alone_, at the very least. I... could try to stop poking you about it, but don't expect me to stop thinking it. Especially when I see you hurt, however well you can cope." She glanced across at him, apprehensive.

A wry smile twitched at Clef's lips, and he relaxed on an almost inaudible sigh. "If you pretend not to worry, I can pretend to not notice you worrying, I guess." He caught her eyes, and waited.

Umi smiled. "Deal."

They were running late as they hurried through the corridors after breakfast, at a pace just a _touch_ too fast to be dignified. Again. "Is this a habit of yours, Clef?" Umi asked.

"You know perfectly well it's not." Clef muttered back.

"Because you've _never_ been late for meals back home in the palace." Umi loaded as much sarcasm as she could onto the words.

"Meals in Cephiro aren't formal things! As long as there's still food, you're in time. Unless we're actually hosting some banquet, on which occasions I have been late _once_ since you've known me, and as I was held up attempting to stop one of the towers disintegrating after Lantis's training session got out of hand I think I should be excused that." He hissed at her just as another figure approached them hesitantly, appearing from a side corridor with the projected air of someone who just happened to be leaving their room, and oh _look,_ Representative Clef! What a coincidence, that I should run into you! ...Although, while I have your attention - Clef nodded encouragingly at the fidgeting young man. "Yes?"

The stranger grasped his hands together, trying to stop himself picking at his sleeves, and took another step forwards. "I, uh..." He paused, still several feet away from Clef, as Umi strode forwards to stand at the mage's side, left hand on her hip where the light glinted sharp-edged from the gem on her gauntlet.

The look Clef shot Umi then would probably have scared the guy off completely, but went unseen as he stared wide-eyed at Umi instead. She saw it, though, and sighed, but lowered her hands.

"...Yes?" Clef prompted again.

It seemed to snap the man out of whatever thought he'd been drowning in, as he began to breathe again. Umi almost felt embarrassed, but she was _meant _to be deterring people from getting too close! As long as you ignored the part of the argument where she was also meant to look like a token bodyguard instead of a real one, she remembered, with a jolt. Ah.

But then, Clef wasn't meant to be throwing himself into the middle of tense political situations which drew masses of attention to him. 'Just keep us stable.' Ferio had said, when they left. The changed situation was more serious, so it made sense for her to be so too. Really. There were still plenty of people who would see an attractive young person there to be decoration, and not a threat. But the boy was speaking, and she should be paying attention.

"I - yes. I'm sorry, sir. My mother is here as the Representative of Wihituvii, and wished for you to be informed that she is in agreement with you on the undesirable nature of a 'self-defence force', and offers what support our small nation can give to aide you in your endeavour against it." He blinked, apparently having come to the end of his memorised speech. "Um, she asked me to tell you if I happened to see you, that is - she already had to go to the Assembly, and, uh..."

Clef took pity on him. Just as well; if he got any redder, he was going to burst the capillaries in his face, and then they'd be even _more_ held up. "Yes, of course. Thank you for telling me. Please, if you would, let the Honourable Representative know that her message has been heard, and is appreciated."

"Yes, of course, sir." The boy bowed low, with a strange and slightly ungainly flourish of his hands. "Thank you."

"The Lady Ryuuzaki and I are running a little behind schedule, I'm afraid, so if you would please excuse us..." Clef inclined his head in return, and swept off down the corridor, Umi a half step behind him, careful of the edge of his long over-robe. "You could have been a little less _fierce_, Umi. I think you nearly killed him, glaring like that." Clef muttered as they reached the next corner.

"Oh, leave off." Umi growled, feeling herself blush. The next corridor was thankfully empty, but it wasn't the last they had to walk through. "That's the third time we've been stopped in two minutes. We're _never_ going to make it to the assembly."

"You're right about that." Clef halted, and spun to face her. "I'll transport us. That enough warning for you, _Lady Ryuuzaki_?"

"Yes." She snapped back, grabbing onto his arms, and then the world sparked into pieces about them.

The world began to spin and dart back into place - the entrance hall, and there was something there, someone moving in the same breath of air as them. Umi saw a figure jolting away with a gasp then there was a flash of metal and she was pushing Clef away, behind her, no time to summon her sword as she moved so she just threw her arm up and braced herself as Clef cursed and twisted back behind her -

There was none of the expected pain, no cold sharpness biting into her arm, and Umi's vision swam clear to show Tatra stood in front of them, smiling amiably, her dagger returned to who-knows-where in her outfit. "I beg your pardon, Umi. You startled me, appearing out of nowhere like that! Is that how you make it on time each day? I did wonder."

"I - Tatra?" Umi blinked up at her for a moment, feeling dazed, one arm still holding Clef back. She glanced over her shoulder to him, then tugged a smile onto her face for Tatra, a little sheepish. "Sorry about that." She lowered her arms.

Clef stepped up beside her, a hand raised absently to rest on Umi's shoulder. "_I'm_ the one who should be apologising," he said, wryly. "I should have checked the hall was free before launching us into the middle of it. It was a beginner's mistake, no excuse for it." He glanced at Umi and his voice dropped lower. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Clef." She murmured, and his hand tightened briefly before he pulled away.

"Good." he bowed low to Tatra, though even now he didn't fold himself up as some people here did on occasion. "I apologise for startling you and your party - I'm just lucky it was someone familiar enough to recognise us, and skilled enough to stop the blow they started." He raised an eyebrow at that, a smile lurking on his face.

Tatra laughed. "Don't think about it anymore. After all, we're all fine. Shall we proceed into the hall?" And she led her flustered aides out into the light of the main room, composed and graceful, and Umi would never have guessed it was less than a minute since she'd drawn a weapon.

...A weapon she really shouldn't have, but while Clef was walking about with his magic singing beneath his skin, _they_ were hardly going to think too hard about it. The smile still lurking on his face said he shared the thought, and they waited a moment to quell the mutual grins before leaving the shadows.

The morning session passed in a boring haze of discussions which had little to no relevance to Cephiro, and Umi watched Clef listening with half an ear, and planning for the afternoon with the rest of himself, if she was reading him right. _She_ did some more writing practise, trying not to be too obvious about it, and tried to keep a straight face whenever Tatra made one of her faux-confused, questioning comments, bright smile and apparent willingness to be told anything disguising the way she was carefully changing the flow of the discussion as she did so. A few people were beginning to catch on to her, but not many.

By lunch, they were all more than ready to leave the room. There were far fewer smiles, and frequent of frustration on the faces of the people leaving, and fewer were staying in the hall to do business. People just flooded out in a rush.

Clef and Umi went back to the same cafe yet again - not truly by choice. The first two places they passed were filled by people who watched them pass with scorn drawn deep on their faces. Many of them Umi recognised as having been seen in public with those from Huginn-Muminn, or the Three, or even Brooke. The others she now added to her mental list, as she could. In one restaurant the Three Representatives were plainly visible, sitting across the back of the room and holding court to the people surrounding them.

When they came to 'their' cafe, and glanced at the inside, the tables were crowded with people who had declared their support - either in the councils, in the corridors, and some apparently by the very act of eating here - for the dissenters Clef had somehow accidentally become the figurehead for. Many of them were people from the tables crowded about the very tops of the Assembly hall, the little places with few slivers of power compared to the places sat lower and closer to the central table, who so far seemed to be throwing in with the Three, or holding back from showing any inclination.

When they walked in, heads turned at _every single table_, and Umi felt her shoulders tense up. But the smiling waitress had already waved them over to the table they had used before, which the useful screens sheltered from the room while letting her see clearly, and Clef was walking forwards.

(Though he did flinch for a moment when everyone turned to stare. Somehow Umi found that reassuring.)

They wove between the tables, Clef nodding at many of the customers; and sat down. Umi tried not to stare out at the other people. Instead she studied the table settings. Had the tablecloth been that pretty pale blue before? It was almost the same colour as Clef's robe she had borrowed this morning. Today was a dove grey. It made his eyes stand out, though it wasn't the best choice to hide the paleness of his face.

After a moment people turned back to their own meals, the air filling again with a low rumble of voices cut with the clink of cutlery on fine china. Clef had already muttered his testing-spell once over the water jug, so Umi felt safe enough sipping at her water - then holding the glass up casual as she could so her lips would be unreadable to most of the room. "What do you think would have happened if we'd gone somewhere else?" She quizzed Clef.

He'd already drained half his glass, comfortably hidden away, and slumped back in his seat with closed eyes. "We'd've been drummed out, I suppose, if we'd gone somewhere wrong. Or glared out. Then probably some of the people in here would have got in a snit because we didn't realise we had a secret headquarters." He poked at the menu, almost at random. "Childish, really, but one can be certain of most people having a strong hint of childishness."

"Says the man who looked like he was eleven until about a year and a half ago." Umi grinned at him.

"...By Cephiran standards, _you_ are barely more than an infant even _now_."

"And by earth ones, you've been dead for over six hundred years, and all of this is either a delusion, a very determined haunting, or a _very_ bizarre version of the afterlife, complete with assassins." Clef snickered, opening his eyes to watch as she turned to the approaching waiter and continued the thought. "I wonder what would happen if they killed you? When you - well, I - was actually dead but deluding myself. Would I be born again? Or decide I actually _was_ dead this time? Or maybe think I'd escaped, and delude myself all over again... oh! You're the guy from breakfast the other day!"

Clef turned at that to the waiter. He had paused a few paces away from the table, just in sight about the screen and blushing sheepishly, a smile quirking his lips. "The one who decided to wear your breakfast, my Lady. Spark Piercasen, at your service again. And at yours, Sir Clef. Though, if you'd like to be served by someone without a history of juggling your food, I'm sure James over there would trade tables with me." He waved his arm over at another waiter as he spoke, a pallid man with trim black hair and a clean-shaven face, who was walking behind Spark at the moment the hand was flung out. 'James' took a long step sideways to avoid being hit. He didn't even look at Spark, just carried on with an audible huff of annoyance.

Umi was happy to see someone she knew even vaguely better than all the people she'd spoken three words to and nothing more. Besides that, he seemed genuinely friendly. "What are you doing here? Don't you work in the main building?" She asked.

"Oh, we grunts get switched around to all the different kitchens so no one gets stuck in one place too long. The cooks stay in one kitchen, of course, as they all serve different things, but I've been in four food halls so far. I was here yesterday, but they stuck me with the washing up. They even get people from other areas to help out at mealtimes. Take James - he's one of the cleaning staff most of the time, but does one shift elsewhere a day." As he spoke, Spark had set out the teapot and delicate painted cups from his tray. "There. Now, have you both made your orders?"

"_I_ have. Umi?" Clef reached out to pour himself a cup of tea.

"Just about." She looked down at the menu, and tapped her choice in decisively. "There. Unless you're going to hoard the tea, in which case I'll need a drink as well..."

Clef set down his cup to pour her one, with only the faintest of sighs.

"I'm done, then. Thank you." Spark seemed to be faintly startled by something, but smiled again and left them before Umi worked out it was probably Clef pouring tea for her which had made him pause, but it was hardly a strange thing. Clef being somewhat possessive of the tea pot. Especially this week, when he seemed to be trying to overdose on it.

There was milk to go with the tea, and Umi added some to hers. "I take it you checked this?"

"A s soon as I saw who was carrying the tray." Clef told her with an unapologetic shrug when she frowned at him. "It's unlikely he had anything to do with the other day, but having him as a waiter twice so soon is unlikely."

"You could at least've waited until he'd set the stuff down, Clef." She reproached him. "He'd've been badly scalded if _that_ blew up in his face."

"If he was trying to poison us, it would also have distracted him from realising we must've worked it out while we got into a better position for defending ourselves." Came the dry reply.

"Still. He might have been innocent again and it still been poisoned. What would you have done then?"

Again, Clef shrugged slightly. "Apologised." He poured another cup of tea for himself - the cups were rather small, for all their beauty. "Don't you have anything less... topical you would rather talk about?"

"Fewer assassins and unexpected magic?" He hummed agreement. "Well, we could talk about your plans for you new-found power as head of this lot." She inclined her head at the rest of the room.

"It wouldn't take long. I haven't the least idea what I should do with them. Form some type of organisation, I suppose. Maybe discussion forums?" An annoyed look wrinkled his nose briefly. Umi chased away the thought that it was rather cute on him. "Perhaps just convince them all to pester Kuregu until he tells us what _his_ intentions are so I can stop obsessing."

At that, Umi could but snicker. "I think you'd need a good few more minions to unsettle _him_."

Clef pulled another face. "What, now I have _minions_?" He moaned it quietly, and swirled more strength into the tea in the pot.

They settled on discussing writing systems again as Spark returned with their food - honestly, this time. Instead of _Umi's_ progress, they were talking of Japanese again. But working out a way to learn and use the Japanese system was proving difficult. Umi's speech was still automatically translated for her whatever she said or intended. She couldn't turn it off to teach him her language, or to teach the different ways of pronouncing the same word when it had more than one. The phonetics of the hiragana and katakana systems she could just about manage to get across, but the fifty syllable system didn't seem to match the Cephiran tongue closely enough for Clef to use it as an alphabet. The translation seemed, really, to be entirely based on bringing her the language of Cephiro, not letting her use it in the other direction.

It seemed Mokona had never planned on their being in Cephiro long term. At least not in the beginning.

They were making a kind of shorthand from the kanji, meaning-carrying symbols, divorcing them entirely from sounds. But it took so _long_. If it worked, though, they would be able to write to each other, which would be a plus. Umi hadn't realised before this week, but she couldn't even leave notes for people in Cephiro unless she was sure one of the knights would be there. Spending more time here she could see it growing into a problem.

They gave up after a few minutes or they weren't going to eat in time. Clef had started a list of all the groups who were showing support for the dissenters, and Umi now began her own one-handed with a fork in the other. More people were written down by description than by name, as he knew about one in five of the groups in the cafe when Umi described them to him, and between them they came up some names of people who had approached them in the past few days, but had forgotten a large amount of them.

"They should put name tags on all of us." He said, grumpily, looking at the mess of a list.

"I think that's what the different types of clothing are meant to do. The problem is, you don't recognise enough of them." Umi grinned at him. "Cephiro's been so cut off, and I guess fashions have changed a lot since you were travelling about all those years ago. I just have no reference for any of them at all, so I'm useless. We should get Tatra to help, I bet she'd be able to tell us who all of these people are."

"...I don't really want to admit to Tatra how poorly we're doing here, though." Clef frowned. "Eagle Vision would be the next best option... but..."

"...Yeah." Umi shrugged. "...What about Fahren, though? Chang An isn't about much, but Sang Yung has been to all the meetings. He's been being dragged about everywhere by Aska for most of his life, as well. I bet he'd know a lot of them - and _he'd _not tell on us."

For _that_ brainwave, Clef agreed to pay for the broken clock himself.

"In fact," Umi mused, "we'd best ask him if any of the people on our list are close to any of the groups on the table, and get them to talk to them, maybe sway them. If they've any influence at all, it might help. Better than getting them to pester Kuregu, anyway."

"Another good idea. Keep on and Ferio will have to start paying you more."

"I'll have to start spending a lot more time in Cephiro if I'm to make use of this money I'm getting." Umi said, with a grin. "Such a pity that he had to pay me to make the contract complete so I could come to the Assembly."

"I can check through the news reports tonight, too. See if there are any big stories linking places."

"You have far too much to read through already." Umi grumbled, but obediently made a note of the plan; and paused with the feeling she'd missed something important. "Clef... you have too much to read, _and_ you have _minions_."

"...We should really stop calling them that. It's not like they're pledged to 'do my bidding' or anything so dramatic." Clef's fork was paused in mid-air yet again. "I think Ascot's the closest I get to an actual minion. But, yes. I take your meaning. They could at least look through their own laws to find what obstacles they can to get in the way. Some of them I _know_ have strong links to the table lands."

"Which need a less awkward group name." Umi muttered. Clef ignored her.

"Like Whituvii, remember the young man this morning? Whose mother sent him to talk to us? Nearly three quarters of their trade goes to Whit, who are in the middle of the table. Get a bunch of them working on them..."

"... and we might win over a few more." They shared a grin.

"I think we can count on about a quarter of the table votes, but Brooke and Huginn-Muminn have another quarter. Half of them haven't declared themselves one way or the other. We have a good chunk of people on our list there - add in the followers of a few more table-lands and we might break into a majority. _Why_ are we only just thinking of getting them to read things?"

Umi shrugged, finishing off her food. "Because we're slow? Sleep deprived? How do you plan to tell them? We've got a convenient group about us - unless you want to be sneaky, of course."

"I can't see much point in being circumspect about something we mean to tell so many. It'd never stay quiet even if we wanted to." Clef ate the last bite of his meal and stood, sliding out past Umi's watchful eyes to face the room. "I do hate everyone staring at me." He muttered for her alone as he went.

He stood in front of them, and silence rippled out through the room like he was the stone dropped into the centre of it. Even the staff slowed in their work or actually stopped, trays held aloft, watching him.

Umi went to his right shoulder, where she could see most of the room and had space to swing a blade. She couldn't see right back to the kitchens, but Spark was stood right in the centre of it, and she _would_ notice if he moved.

"Afternoon, everyone." Clef began, and Umi saw his jaw tense as he realised he'd launched in entirely informally. Typical _him. _Too late to go for formal now - he must have agreed, as he went on: "I won't take long, but if I could have a few moments of your attention, I'd appreciate it."

Around the room, people nodded and settled back. A few of the support and family members began eating again, but quietly. Even they kept craning necks to watch.

The thing Umi wished for most in the world was for someone to tell her if she was actually getting this right, _before_ she was tested by malevolent forces. She shifted her weight so she was better balanced. Her father had been given security guards before at important meetings with other ambassadors, but all of them had been so focused around _guns_ – theirs and the possibility of others having them – that the memories were little help.

"I'm sure most of you know by now that I'm against the idea of a defence force, a central army; call it what you will, any military under the control of the Assembly. I believe such a thing is unnecessary and likely to exploit those of us with fewer people and power or resources, as well as lead us towards a pointless war with lands who have merely decided not to join this council. If you agree, I'd like you to look into the laws and regulations of your lands, the treaties and customs, and find anything which might act as an obstacle to this - something to make it illegal or hard to draft your people, or to tithe goods and money from you to support it, as it would be in my own Cephiro." There was a stir about the room, a breeze fluttering over the rippling surface. Clef continued. "And if your land has a relationship, even just a marginal one, with any of the lands sat on the inner table - please, let them know where your people stand on the matter. Show support if they are leaning our way, your differences if they aren't, even just a few words in private may well help. I know there are many other Representatives here who are fearful of showing support or even thinking about this too much in fear of retaliation or pressure from the major players on the other side. If we just show ourselves here and open to discussion, we'll look a better option than we currently do, at least. And..."

He hesitated, looking about, with a shy smile. Umi could see it from the corner of her eye as he turned. If she had been listening, she might well have joined just on the basis of that look - it was adorable, somehow... which was a completely irrelevant thought. She pushed it away. "That was all I had to say. Thanks for listening to me. I'll stop interrupting your meals now." He bowed his head just a little, and slipped back around Umi to hide behind the screen in a nearly dignified manner. Umi smiled a little at a few of the people who nodded and looked to catch her eye, and followed him.

"...Now?" She said, quietly, as the noise level rose again beyond their sheltered corner.

"Now we finish eating and get to the afternoon session with time to speak to Sang Yung, hopefully. Clef's smile turned wry, intimate, as he slumped into his chair. "Desert, though, before we get out of here. Do you need anything translating again?"

When they returned to the Hall, they found two of the staff busy arranging a trolley loaded with various drinks and a hot water urn on the dias, under the watchful eye of two of Kuregu's secretary flock. Both the Huginn-Muminn Representatives were sat in place already, aides glittering about them like foam at the bottom of a waterfall someone had attacked with dangerous levels of food colouring. Most of the people hovering about were holding delicate cups of tea or other hot drinks, and Robin was just accepting a glass of fruit juice.

Kuregu stood by his chair already, deep in conversation with one of his minions: both Elphinstone and Cerys were wandering closer to the rather heated discussion but by the frowns unfolding on their faces neither could hear much of anything.

One of the waiters was a woman Umi had seen in the dining hall before. Her flame-red hair had caught Umi's eyes, and she'd taken her for Hikaru for a single confused moment before waking up a little more. The woman spotted them, and smiled a welcome. "Good day, Honoured Representative, Lady Magic Knight. Would you care for some refreshment? A cup of tea, sir?"

"Please." Clef agreed, ignoring Umi's quiet giggle. His current tea obsession really was… obvious. He was never _quite_ this bad on Cephiro. That she noticed. Then Umi was feeling lethargic here herself. The woman poured from a silver teapot into another of the eggshell thin, finely painted cups which Kuregu's aide held out for her. No two of the selection were the same; this one looked like a mid-winter sky, white-blue and cold, with wispy clouds scattered across it, a hint of grey at their hearts promising a storm to come.

The cup poured for her, when she nodded, was painted as the surface of a lake from below. Accepting it, she turned to the table - but Clef paused, looking over at Kuregu. "May I ask why you're here today? It's a marvellous idea, of course..."

"Certainly!" The woman smiled, and Umi had a brief thought of plastic dolls lined up in a shop, all smiling with the same meaningless expression. It wasn't quite fair to think that about most of the staff, though. (The secretaries, perhaps.) "Honourable Representative Kuregu felt that the afternoon sessions have grown so long in discussion that refreshments available here might loosen people's throats again, and make the discussions pass with greater speed."

Clef nodded, eyes still fixed on Kuregu. "As I said, a good idea..." He murmured.

Umi waited until they had taken their drinks and moved away before questioning him. "Why so dubious? Kuregu's hardly going to poison us all quite so blatantly."

"I can't decide whether it's more likely he wants us all so buzzed with caffeine we all start rambling on a great deal less guardedly, or if he wants us to have drinks to _throw_ at each other. Or maybe both." Clef muttered by her ear, and Umi choked on a laugh.

"Maybe he's as frustrated as we are, and at least a drink is a distraction?" She grinned at the incredulous look it got her.

"If _that_ were the case, he should just hurry up and give his _own damn stand_." Clef hissed, but even as he did so there came a new thoughtful look stealing across his face. "Unless for some reason he _can't_. Remind me to look up the most recent news from Dleivus tonight, would you?"

"Still too much to read, Clef." But she summoned paper and her pen, and made the note. "...and there's Sang Yung. No sign of the Chang An, though."

"He didn't come to that many of the discussions last time, either. No one seemed to think anything of it. He was about when the votes were happening, and definitely knew what was going on… I begin to suspect it's a scheme to actually get work done in the afternoon, to be honest." Clef waited until Sang Yung had hold of a glass, and then waved him over.

"Good afternoon, Master Mage, Umi." Sang Yung was glancing back at the trolley, a faint bewildered look on his face - then he looked at them properly, and blushed a bright red. "I'm sorry! I meant Honourable Representative, Lady Knight -"

"No, no - don't worry about it." Umi assured him, Clef nodding agreement. "I mean, do you mind if we call you just Sang Yung?"

"No, of course not!"

"Well then." Umi grinned, and sat herself on the edge of the table, waving Sang Yung at her seat. Clef coughed and hid a smile behind his hand at her pose, and Sang Yung sat staring at her. "I'm not good at formal." Umi announced. She could hear her name being mentioned by two flustered aides somewhere behind her but Clef wasn't telling her to move, so she rested a hand on his shoulder and remained right where she was.

"We have a favour to ask you, if you have some time..." Clef moved on. "Thing is, both of us are fairly bad at names - we've got a list of people we think are in support of our faction, but we don't know who half of them _are_."

"You're really good at names, you remembered everyone on Cephiro really easily, and you've been here more often than we have, so we were wondering if you could tell us who they are. We've written descriptions, but..." Umi waved a hand. "That's not much good for handing about to other people, it looks really disrespectful."

"And also embarrassing." Clef said, with a grin at Umi.

Sang Yung was smiling by now, his blush fading fast. "I'd be glad to help, if I can. Do you have the list with you? Or I could come to see you before the drinks - I'm not doing anything in particular this afternoon, the Old One has other people to stay with him and help him talk to everyone who turns up, so..." Umi raised her gauntleted hand, and Clef's list appeared in her other hand. Sang Yung took it, and scanned it quickly, the last of his doubt leaving. "I can do this." He said, with a bright smile. "It shouldn't take too long, either. ...Would you mind if I copied it for us? I know Chang An would like a copy..."

"Go ahead." Clef agreed. "I would have done a copy for both you and Princess Tatra, but we didn't really want to admit how badly we've done to anyone else." There was a conspiratorial grin passed about between the three of them.

"I can have it ready for you by the drinks this evening." Sang Yung smiled at them, and then everyone about them began to sit, and he rushed away to his own place as the session began. Umi grinned at Clef one final time, then slid into her seat by his side. Looking about, there were one or two faintly scandalized expressions at her antics, but only from the groups from the Three, and Huginn-Muminn, who were never going to side with Cephiro anyway. Umi felt no guilt for horrifying them. In fact, it was rather fun - and there were a few _grins_ about the place too, hidden by hands and drinks. Cerys, for one, in the middle of the Huginn-Muminn group, caught Umi's eye for a second and grinned brightly before looking away again. Tatra was smiling a little brighter than usual - and the guy from Lundene, sat just down from her, was hiding a grin behind his teacup, betrayed by the amused wrinkles about his eyes.

Kuregu cleared his throat as people settled themselves with papers and pens, drinks and all the other paraphernalia people were adding to the table top. "As everyone is here, let us begin." he said.

Clef raised his hand beside Umi, swiftly, startling her - and pretty much everyone else. Kuregu remained impassive, and nodded. "Before we begin, I'd like to raise a vote of thanks for Honourable Representative Kuregu's kind action in providing refreshments for us here." Heads nodded about the place, not just people on their side, but everyone - Umi had to squash a laugh at the small pause while Kuregu just watched Clef, as if entirely unable to work out how to take him.

He nodded acceptance of the thanks, though, and went on. "Does anyone have anything new to add to the discussion today?" he asked, and he really did seem eager to have this thing _done_ with. Brooke's hand was in the air almost before Kuregu had finished the sentence - but Kuregu ignored him entirely to scan the rest of the table, and Ash's hand was elegantly raised to draw his attention, the other members of the Three - secretaries and Representatives and all - were watching Ash in a quietly pointed manner.

"Lord Ash of Norand, you may address the table." Kuregu declared, and Umi saw Brooke slump back into his seat from the corner of her eye. There wasn't time for more than a glance at him, though, before Ash was standing - strangely formal, and the entire room settled into a silence that echoed out into the dark emptiness about them, waiting as he spread his hands.

"Fellow delegates, we have been debating the need for a general, integrated defence force to protect our lands - especially those smaller, with fewer resources than we at this table are privileged to command." (Here, Umi thought she heard Clef mutter something like 'speak for yourself. Half of them have more than Cephiro.' But his lips didn't seem to move, and she had no time to ponder it.) "Some of us have been concerned as to whether there is a need for such a force. It seems such a drastic step to take that it's only _right_ to be concerned. To that end, I, and my fellow associates from Mercia and Dalriada" with a graceful wave down the table at Robin and Elphinstone so they had the chance to humbly bow their heads "have been gathering information on the topic, as I know many of you have also."

The slight glance at Clef there meant, Umi thought, that his lunchtime speech was already common knowledge, at least to some of them. But it was fleeting, and Ash spoke on. "This morning, I received a comm from the council of Norand, concluding that we and the worlds closest to us are in full support of a defence force, and giving me a set of recordings to aid explanation of why we have come to this decision. To that end, if I may have use of the table projector...?" It was less a request than a formality concluded by Kuregu's nod.

Umi couldn't quite stifle her jump when Kuregu pressed some sort of control on the edge of the table, and two hidden leaves opened in the centre of the table, revealing a large device - three large faceted crystals surrounded by chrome and black metal, like something from a sci fi movie. A long thin strip of the table top slipped away, running just in arm's reach all about it, with a set of slots and buttons in front of each place setting.

Ash reached across and slipped something which looked remarkably like a minidisk into one of the openings, and the crystals began to glow then revolve in place - one blue, one yellow, one red. The lights overhead went down, and a glow formed over the centre of the table - then resolved into a three-dimensional image, like the ones Clef created but mechanical, not magic. "Cool..." Umi whispered, quietly. Clef's hand lay on her arm a moment as he shifted to a better position to watch from. "...Magic's awesome, but we could use something like this on _Earth_." Clef's lips twitched slightly, and he patted her arm again, exuding faint amusement. She turned her attention back to the scene forming before them, ignoring him. It was blank space at the moment, the dark clearness between worlds. Then one came into view, growing into the image - small and green, crazed with blue lines.

Then the opaque glow of a 'road' came into view, snaking sharp and fast towards the land. The view switched to follow it, jumping from point to point until the road reached the atmosphere and from it shot the prow of a vessel that looked sleeker than but just as mechanical as the Autozam battleships. A series of fins splayed out from its sides. They reached their full extension and locked in place.

Umi realised they were weapons the moment before the ship opened fire, the beams from each point swirling about each other into a great and terrible spiral which slashed across the green-blue land, leaving clouds of dust and debris behind it, the sharp red glow of kindling fires.

"That was Argos, just 75 mailongs from Norand. This is Denby, their closest neighbour." The scene switched, and the arrival of a minutely different ship played out again from a different direction, over a slightly larger land - this one with the grey-scar patches of cities plain even from this distance. There was silence as the rays obscured one of those grey sprawls, and this time there were sick green and orange lights in the debris clouds.

There were a succession of other attacks, about eight in all. Ash gave a name for each place, the rest of the table battered into actual full silence for once. For Umi, it was having again the disjointed realisation that though everything here _looked_ like a film, or a video game, there were _actual people_ loosing their lives in front of her.

When the projector shut down and the lights began to go up again, there was a shifting in seats, a tangible uneasiness in the room. Clef sighed, quiet enough she was the only one who could have heard him, and Umi was in total agreement. Because what could follow that? She wasn't... she trusted Clef's knowledge too much to be swayed into doubting him and their point, but it was still a shocking thing to watch, and most of the people here would not have that deep belief to hold on to.

Ash withdrew the disk and sat back in his chair, relinquishing his hold on the table. His face bore a tiny smirk as he looked about, well pleased with the impact he'd had, and for a brief moment Umi dreamt of flinging her cup over at him. A lot of the people about the table were pausing and taking a sip or two, waiting for someone else to speak first. But it was someone Umi really hadn't expected who shattered the hush, voice ringing clear. The Lady Eorl.

"With the greatest of respect to Norand, I must ask why this classes as new information?"

A stir ran about the table, and Ash's smirk very gratifyingly fell away.

"We have always been aware that there are occasional attacks on lands within the Alliance from those outside it - even, on occasion, from those inside it." And she looked across at Clef, one eyebrow raised slightly. The attacks on Cephiro must be known among people here, even if the details weren't - Umi really hadn't expected that, though she couldn't have said _why_, precisely. If Cephiro had been as utterly isolated and... mythological to the rest of them as Clef had implied, then it wasn't quite the same as two table lands going to war. (Or even four of them.) And they had all been desperate enough to risk it... and none of them, she realised with a start, had been led by the _actual_ leader of the land. Just... the next in line. The young, rash ones, who could be excused far more easily. Clef merely stared back, the smile on his lips faint enough Umi sincerely doubted anyone else would spot it, and Tatra smiled across at them without shame.

"But every successful attack in the past three decades has been either known about, and the warnings ignored; as it was with Argos from your example, or a private moment of aggression between two warring lands. There has been no great conspiracy of the lands outside the Assembly to assault our borders, no extended campaigns - more, the few attacks which have, regrettably, occured, have all been resolved, and compensation offered and accepted as according to the international rules set out by this council and others. These attacks we have seen here, five happened well over a decade ago, and the others, I am sure, all fall within the same boundaries, or we would all have heard something of them." People began to nod, the hush dissipating. "As it stands, I'm certain that these incidents were damaging and regrettable to the worlds involved, but they are no more overwhelming proof of anything than they were yesterday. One might even argue that relying on such dated material implies the opposite, though I won't go that far."

Which wasn't exactly throwing her weight in on their side, but it was damaging enough to Ash's attempt to sway the table all at once that Umi thought they might not lose too many votes from such a _real_ presentation. There were some faces about the place still looking uneasy.

From there, the afternoon settled down, and though the discussion was easier on the throat with drinks available, it still didn't precisely _get_ anywhere. The people who hadn't made up their minds all seemed to be waiting for someone else - or, indeed, everyone else. Unwilling to _commit_.

Hopefully the amount of support from the off-table lands would sway them. They received a stream of supporters who came to speak to Clef in the late afternoon, after Kuregu dissolved the meeting and let them all escape. Many of the visitors brought papers with details of impediments to a draft or tithe, as Clef had been hoping. Though he had little time to read through them himself with all the interruptions, he was smiling easier as they walked down to the evening 'refection' (as Clef had pointed out the drinks were officially known after Umi started muttering about getting ready for the evening glare-and-natter session).

More people talked to them that night than ever before. Instead of making their way about the room, they didn't get far out of the one corner, and there were enough people about them that though she tried, Umi couldn't keep track of who was talking with whom. She also had enough to do just watching the people who were hovering about. There were a few - that Schwarzem fellow was glowering about, and also the one of the mousy looking types Clef had said was just below the table - Pedredan was the country, she'd forgotten the man's name again. O-something? Ost! That was it. (she needed a camera. If she could make a set of flash cards to memorise names…) She spotted him later as the crowd eddied, now deep in conversation with one of Brooke's party. There were a few others who seemed to keep appearing and yet never draw close enough to speak with them. Just hovering. And every time she caught their eyes, they faded away into the mob.

Sang Yung appeared to speak with them for a while, with Chang An appearing in a slightly more sedate manner a minute or so later, and they thanked him for the work on the list - he'd got their original and a new, fully named version to them in their room before they came down, but had sent it with one of the other aides instead of coming himself. Now he blushed, and said it was nothing, but he looked so pleased to have been of help that Umi wanted to hug him. "I gave Princess Tatra a version as well." He said, "I hope that was what you wanted?"

"Yes, thank you - you've been incredibly helpful."

"Well, we were such a nuisance to you a few years ago..." He shrugged nervously, and Clef turned the conversation to asking after Princess Aska's current health, which Sang Yung was only too pleased to inform them was good, though she was terrorising all her tutors trying to learn everything she could as quick as she could to get out of the classroom. (Not that he put it like that.) It wouldn't be too long now until she came of age. "She sends greetings to the Magic Knights, as well. Especially to the Knight of Wind. She said that they would have to have tea again soon."

"I'll tell Fuu as soon as I can, I'm sure she'll be very glad." Umi promised. Before the conversation could go any further Chang An froze in place for a moment, eyes comically wide under those great eyebrows. "I think… I may have remembered something of _great import_. I bid you good night, Honourable Clef , Lady Knight – I must go and search the archives." He declared, and hustled himself and Sang Yung from the room, aides drawing in about them as they went – their own, and several with messages for them.

The group from Autozam were in the corner across from them, and she watched from the corner of her eye as Brooke had an unhappy looking conversation with one of Kuregu's secretaries beside one of the tall potted ferns. Both of them were making short, abortive waves with their hands, leaning close enough for some privacy, faces far too carefully blank. Mikke - that was it. She was the one who had spoken to Ascot on the comm before they came and riled him up. Then Clef was calling her attention gently with a hand on her arm, and she had to bow and make polite conversation for a few minutes with Lady Reigan, who sat only behind Huginn-Muminn and Dleivus, and who seemed to be going about deliberately talking to the people on both sides of the current split in a pointedly polite manner.

When Reigan had gone Umi noticed that though the others seemed to still be there, Brooke was missing. Though she looked about, she couldn't spot him anywhere in the room, and it wasn't much more than half way through the hour and a half of chatter. "Clef?" She murmured, leaning in close to his ear as he finished a conversation about polite nothings with the next person just wanting to 'show their support'. "Have you seen Brooke? He's not in the hall anymore..."

"He was turning redder and redder with the drinks he was inhaling, letting everyone else field questions. He probably just wandered back to his room to pass out - and it's all the better for us if he has a hangover tomorrow, so I'm not worried." He was fiddling with the thin stem of his own glass; he'd taken one of the bubbling flutes, for appearance's sake, but was careful to only sip at it occasionally and leave enough in the bottom that the waiters didn't try to give him a new one. He'd drunk enough tea to float about eight ships today, so Umi really wasn't suprised at his reluctance.

"I guess." Umi glanced at him instead of the rest of the room; they've been so close to each other for the past three days, closer than even before, but she's been looking away all that time - to other people, and now she is looking at him she tilted her head a little, brow creasing. "Speaking of going to sleep… you look as if it'd do you good to collapse for a week."

"I'm fairly tired, yes." Clef said, dryly, smiling at another of their allies as she backed away. "For some reason, I didn't sleep all the way through last night. Can't _think_ why. And it's so amusing, speaking to all these lovely people."

One hand landed on his back, and Clef found himself being pushed towards the exit firmly. "That's it; if you're being _that_ sarky, then it's only going to be a little while before you blow someone up; we're leaving, and you're going to get a decent night's sleep tonight if I have to stay up and sing to you."

"But it's not done yet! Umi, wait a second-" they were being watched by a darkly amused Schwarzem, and Clef tried to grab her arm inconspicuously and tug it away. "Umi, do you have any idea what this looks like?"

"I don't care." She replied, remarkably placidly, steering him around the table. "Anyone who's paying attention will be able to see how tired you are, and practically the entire conference thinks we're sleeping together anyway."

"I- Umi!" He yelped, his cheeks burning red.

She grinned. "What? It's hardly a surprise!"

"I know, that's not it - it's just, it's different when you're the one saying it!"

"Different how?" And she even sounded curious.

"More embarrassing!" Clef managed, as they neared the doors, remembering far too late to try to keep his voice down.

Umi sighed, and faced him, her hand falling away. "Look, Clef… if you're getting this flustered by something so stupid, this quickly, then it really is time you got some rest. Otherwise you'll be just as badly off as Brooke in the morning, and that's the last thing we need right now!"

The lights in the room were blazing white overhead, shattered and refracted by three large chandeliers. Clef winced as the light struck his eyes, but he wasn't going to admit anything, even as he conceded.

"…" He frowned at her. "Fine, we'll leave - but at least let me keep some of my dignity?" He appealed.

Umi didn't drag him away from the few conversations they met on their way through the last crowd. She stayed by his side, quietly, until he got away and they reached the flow of people going out. People pressed close enough to bang shoulders and only fighting vigorously could have kept two people together through the press of the bottleneck. She was elbowed by accident once, and once again in a slightly more suspicious manner. She got separated from him further as someone called Clef's name and he turned, pausing, but Umi was swept out of the door by the force against her back.

"Clef?"

"I'll catch you in the stairwell." He called back, figuring the halls would probably be busy until there, not wanting to cause a disturbance by Umi fighting her way back to him, as he knew she would if he gave her occasion. Her uncertain expression as she managed to hovered by the door frame made it plain she wasn't happy with it, but he stared her down until she nodded.

"…Okay, I gu-" and then she was out the doors, and he turned to the nervously fidgeting boy who had stopped him.

"Yes? May I help you?"

"It's - here, this was from Princess Tatra."

A letter was thrust in his face, clutched tightly by fingers that were just barely trembling, and Clef smiled at the wide blue eyes staring up at him, at the whole room. "Thank you." He reached out, and barely whispered the spell at the moment his fingers brushed the paper; the letter grew softly warm for a second, and he took it. The boy's eyes grew even wider, if possible. "Was that all?"

"Uh, yes, sir!" And the boy bowed jerkily, his face hidden by a tangle of reddish-brown hair falling down over his face.

/*He's probably been running his fingers through it all night.*/ Clef thought, trying not to grin. /*Must be the first evening he's been allowed to attend. Poor thing!*/ "Would you do me a favour, and hand this back in?" He asked, inclining his own head in return and handing over the glass.

The boy snatched it so hard it was a miracle the stem didn't break, mouth twitching into a smile and then biting down on it until it went away, and he bowed again. "I'd be glad to." He said, finally bringing some calmness into his voice.

"My thanks." Said Clef, gravely, and turned to make his way after Umi, the letter disappearing until he was back with Umi in private.

Through the doors, the crowds thinned out a lot quicker than Clef had thought - of course, he realised, most of the people moving about were only going to the tables set up right by the doors for new drinks that weren't being carried about by the waiters. From paranoia or a taste for something different, either were likely enough reasons. The stairwell was in a recess around the nearest corner. He caught a glimpse of Umi standing at the junction of the corridors, elegant and disturbingly natural in the Cephiran robes. The belt about her waist rather like that on her full regalia, but there were subtle curves to her figure which hadn't been there he last saw her in that. Another mark of the girl she had been fading into the woman who was catching his attention easily even through the crushing veil of people.

She seemed to be... talking to someone, out of view about the corner. Clef frowned. And _that_ gesture - he knew that head tilt, that slow raising of her hand - she strode out of view, and Clef sped up, pushing less politely between people, letting his shoulders be walked into and murmuring a constant stream of anonymous apologies.

That was the look Umi got when she was about to draw her sword.

He reached free space, and walked quicker. The silence of the thick carpeting was oddly incongruous - he felt like he should be running on paving or hard packed dirt, not walking down a well lit corridor, the chatter of many people behind him.

He got around the corner - and there was no one there. Not Umi, not anyone she might have been talking to - and no witnesses, leaving him free to jog the last ten metres to the stairwell. The door was shut - he pushed it aside, but there was no one there, either.

"Lost something, Clef?"

He spun about at the mocking voice, to find Brooke walking towards him down the corridor from the front of the building, a long thin gun in his hand raised to point at Clef's chest. There was an unpleasant smile on his face, and a high sharp flush on his cheeks.

And still Umi was missing.

~end chapter nine


	10. Chapter 10

You people are all awesome. I'm so glad there are still people enjoying this! I hope you enjoy the next bit, too – the pace should be picking up from the next chapter (this one is, I fear, still rather long – but then, I just had to type up all my edits. XD; Oh for the day when I learn to write _shorter first drafts…_) Thank you for reading, and again to those who commented!

I, uh, also apologise for the cliff-hanger last time. There aren't _too_ many of them to come in the future? ^^;

Special thanks to the friend who happily flailed with me about this fic for a while this week, and who has read it despite the fact she knows nothing of Rayearth (and my habit of getting distracted into throwing Korean boyband members singing 'it's raining men' at her? XD; *waves TVXQ flag*) XDD I finished typing up! Now I can watch the videos you leant me with a clean conscience. XDD

I've got well over half the next chapter sorted, so hopefully the wait will be a little shorter again. And I've just noticed ffn is eating all my scene breaks – I really hope it hasn't been doing that all the time. D: Whoops…

~down

Chapter ten: a small tempering (or two)

Umi walked to the end of the corridor, well out of the press of people, where she could actually see what was going on. Mostly, anyway. She could stand here and watch for Clef -

But she reached the corner, and had no time to look back for him. There was a young man stooped over the door to the stairwell, a sturdy container of some sort in one heavily gloved hand, as he tried to open it, a stiff metallic brush hanging from his wrist, and all his attention bearing down on the door handle Clef would be reaching for any minute now.

She recognised this one, distantly - his clothes had the curved wires which even she could peg as Autozam. He'd not said anything to them, just hovered in behind Brooke, but - "hey!" she snapped, raising her gauntleted fist, ready to summon her sword. She was still in plain sight of the people down the hall: Umi knew she shouldn't draw here unless she was prepared for a _lot _of attention, _very_ quickly. She spoke just as he got the lid partway off - the man lurched, the long tail of dark hair he'd tied back and looped out of the way spilling down now, nearly into the pot, and in twisting to stop that some clear, spitting liquid splashed over the door, the carpet. It hissed, and there was a most awful smell as the wood of the door began to blacken and flake, the short fibres of the carpet shrivelling and melting together in a charred mess. The metal of the handle, though, looked fine.

_*Acid?*_ Umi thought, and in the moment of horror when she thought of anyone putting their hand down on a handle coated with _that_ the man had time to slam the lid back down, hissing a curse through clenched teeth at her, and then he took off down the corridor. Umi took three steps, speeding up, before she was level with the door, and the smell stopped her like a brick wall. (It was her mouth and throat and nose stinging, though, instead of hands and face.) That low hiss continued, and she _couldn't_ leave that stuff for anyone (for _Clef_) to find.

She drew in a deep breath and nearly choked on the fumes, but pushed all that aside to concentrate on the need to make that stuff _clean_. The warmth of magic in her coiled up at her demand, suffusing her arms and her throat and head at the same time, and there was a phrase to be grabbed at and called out - though not loud, or she'd start coughing. "Mabarai no Mizu!"

She kept the jet of water that span from her hands as small as she could, blasting the door and the carpet about it, hoping it would be enough. She had no time to see if it worked - the man was turning a corner at the end of the corridor, and that tin was still mostly full in his hands.

There were no witnesses to see her. Umi sprinted, throwing all her trust into the Cephiran boots to keep her footing even on the smooth carpet as she flung herself forwards. It should have been - something. Worrying. Frightening. But he'd run from _her_, and finally there was a problem she could _act_ on, and there was a sharp thrill running with the adrenaline in her blood.

The man took turn after turn with no plan Umi could sense, until she'd lost track of their direction. But she was gaining - he had to be careful of the tin in his hand, and though she thought it herself Umi was _fast_. His head start wasn't enough. Umi cast one hand up to the ceiling as she went, dragging enough air into her lungs to yell "MIZU NO RYUU!" and aiming for his shoulders. The water dragon snarled and sped away from her - it flung him from his feet and he tossed the can of acid away from himself as he went down. Umi cursed and shot past him. She reached out, then hesitated, remembering his gloves - her gauntlet obliged, glowing for a moment and morphing into a heavy work glove about her left hand. "Thanks, Clef." She muttered, and picked the can up gingerly. It seemed to be whole and sealed tightly enough; she took a deep breath, relieved.

When her foe struggled to his feet, dripping water from his hair, Umi was facing him with the can in one hand, her sword in the other. "What were you doing with this? Were you trying to hurt Clef?" She demanded.

"Another minute and I'd have got you both! Just one _minute!_ Why did you have to come ahead?" Through clumps of a long fringe he glared at her. His voice was slurred just slightly, with anger and something darker still, desperation, glazed with alcohol.

Umi's own glare turned scornful. "How did you know you wouldn't be hurting someone else, throwing that stuff about? Someone with nothing to do with your argument, whatever that actually _is_?"

"I'm not - I wouldn't _do_ that! That's what you _do_! All of you! You lie and twist _everything_, and I won't let you anymore!"

"But _how did you know?"_

"You were the only two left to go that way!" He snarled. "I watched and I waited and you were beginning to move, so I went ahead!" Umi, who'd been having visions of acid left on every stairwell in the building, sighed out relief which skated over the top of the anger boiling harder and harder in her chest.

"Brooke sent you, didn't he. It's the stupidest plan I've heard! What if anyone called for room service, or don't the staff count as people if they get hurt?" That was a hit, she saw him flinch. "Don't you care even about Autozam? He's hurting the people there as well as here, and even the land! All the people working on the regeneration project -"

His look darkened into real disgust, into something which had Umi gripping her blade firmer and keeping it steady between them. "Brooke _promised_." He said. "None of _you_ did anything to help anyone, and he's _promised_ to do what we need to. Get rid of _you_ and your parasitic lover, throw all of it out of the way - and he'll do it, too. Do you really think he won't notice your master all alone? I've done _my_ part. Though I really wanted it to be me who got to the bastard..."

Her stomach tumbled down inside of her. But Umi was made of sterner stuff than that, and she believed Clef was, too.

There still wasn't time to work out what the hell this one was yattering about - and he launched himself at her even as she thought it. There was just time to whirl her sword overhead and gather another water blast to fling at him before he ran straight onto the point of the blade, and this time she struck him square in the chest, with enough power to blast him back metres along the carpet.

The jolt left him shaken on the floor, soaked through; but the fight was gone from him as she walked forwards, sword still held ready. He flinched back, but all Umi did was take the wire brush from where it lay by his hand. He let her.

"I don't know what your problem is, but I'd suggest _talking_ about it before you start throwing acid about. When you're sober again, that is. Clef will do whatever he can to help, _as long as_ you don't start out by attacking. I swear to that, and you can try _my_ word this time." and with that she left him sodden and battered, and walked away. The back of her neck itched as she walked down the corridor, but she'd judged it right: he wasn't coming after her. There were ragged gasps for air which sounded almost like sobs, being bitten back... Her sword spilled away into her glove.

The tin of acid swung in her hand and eroded the sympathy which would have had Hikaru turning back to ask what was wrong until she got an answer. Umi had other priorities at the moment. The first of which was finding out _where she was_.

As soon as the corner blocked her from sight, Umi stood still and stared at the walls, but they gave no clue as to where she had wound up - not any of the private rooms, at least. She let the sword spill back into her gauntlet after a moment's thought and called out the map Clef had made her carry, with a rush of gratitude. The image cast by the stone showed her as in the corridors behind the kitchens for the main hall, surrounded by offices and storerooms that controlled the daytime running of the place, all quiet at this hour. She could find her way back to Clef from here -

But first she had to get rid of this can, before someone accused _her_ of a dastardly plot.

She frowned at the map, then set off at a quick walk for the kitchens. They were still lit, and when she pushed the door back, half a dozen people stared round at her. Her luck was running better by the moment: there was a face she recognised in the crowd, stuck with the washing up again. "Spark?" She called.

He wiped his hands and came across to her. "Lady Ryuuzaki." He said. "May I help you? Did you want something to eat?"

"Not now - I just need someone to get this back where it belongs." She told him in a low voice, and held out the can. His eyes widened in recognition and he snatched a thick towel from a worksurface, swathing his hand before taking the handle gingerly. His own voice dropped low to match hers.

"I - of course. What was..."

"I... found it. I don't think any of it got out - well, no, some hit one of the doors in a stairwell near the drinks, but I neutralized it. The carpet's probably got a hole or two, though. Can you get that sorted? I need to..." Umi realised she was speaking quicker and quicker, but she couldn't stop it, and Spark seemed to understand. Possibly just because she was practically bouncing on her heels at this point.

"Yes, yes, of course. You can leave it to me, my Lady." He bowed over the can, and she nodded quickly before spinning on one heel and turning back, the map held in front of her in her left hand so she could call her sword again as she ran, the weight of it spilling into her hand comfortingly.

*_You'd better be fine, Clef. I don't know what I'd do- I'll stab you myself if you aren't. Damn it, I _had_ to go and chase him, didn't I... though I couldn't leave him alone with that acid... but..._*

*_Be alright, Clef._*

oOo

"_Lost something, Clef?"_ – the words echoed down the hall, a mocking parody of the fear in his head.

"Nothing which can't take care of herself." Clef said. He clenched his fists, and realised his fingers were _damp_ - from the door? He pressed one hand back against it, keeping the movement hidden behind his body, while Brooke glared at him, the end of the gun making small circles aimed at his chest. The wood of the wood was pitted and flaking under his hand, splashed with a thin layer of water. He'd missed it, too focused looking for something shaped like _Umi_. His boots crunched slightly on the carpet, or something on it, and all of it was sending a coil of fear down his throat into his stomach. But he concentrated on not looking like it was bugging him, getting some fierce gratification from the darkening scowl on Brooke's face at Clef's failure to look intimidated.

There was movement in the corridor behind Brooke, and Clef tried not to look. Brooke scowled at the restrained response. "You'd be wise to drop the _toy_ you're trying to threaten me with."

Brooke just snorted. "And why would I do that, of all things? You can't tell me that the vaunted Master Mage of Cephiro feels _threatened_ by a mere politician from Autozam. Especially after you people so _effortlessly_ blew away our top soldier a few years ago - but! So have _I_." A nasty smirk twisted his features. Clef fought hard not to flinch. Eagle – he'd put a lot of time into healing that man! If he really was – but then, Brooke didn't know they'd had word from him since the coup. If he _had_ been removed from play, surely Brooke would have been announcing it to the whole conference? "Turns out Eagle Vision wasn't so tough after all. And I doubt _you_ will be any more of a problem."

"I think even if you _had_ defeated Eagle, I think you'd find me a different kind of challenge." Clef's eyes narrowed. "But then, of course, as a true Representative, I'm hardly allowed to blow away anyone who annoys me. _However tempted._"

There was the faintest scuff of shoes on the carpet behind Clef, another in the shadows beyond Brooke, and Clef let his hands drift from his sides, loose and ready to move. Power began to buzz nervous at his fingertips - and then there was a glint of metal behind Brooke, who was still rattling on, looking annoyed but confident.

"I hardly think that a little self defence would be judged quite so harshly… but then, I suppose, there are no witnesses here to back any claims it _was_ self defence, and your animosity has hardly gone unnoticed…" The person behind Clef shifted and Brooke started, only to relax when he saw who it was. "And the word of a mere aide - moreover, one whose bosses need my support and are sure to side with me - is hardly going to bear up against the word of a _Representative_ just as real as any Cephiran _sorcerer_." The man swaggered a little. "No, I hardly see any reason to lower this."

Cerys stepped far enough forwards that Clef could see her from the corner of his eye. He didn't bother turning to her, keeping a disdainful glare on Brooke, and waited while she spoke.

"Then you must be very, very drunk - or exceedingly stupid, if you think Huginn-Muminn needs the aid of one like _you._ My leaders couldn't care less what disgrace you fall into - your land clings just barely to the edge of the table, and _you_ are only here on the barest grounds of legitimacy. Whatever small use you might have been to us, there are plenty others who could be far greater use. I'd not scruple to throw you to the guards. As for a more _immediate_ reason to stop waving that blade about, I believe letting the Mage's bodyguard rest the arm that's holding a sword to your neck would be a good one, before she gets tired and slips." Cerys smiled nastily, teeth showing. "Unless you really did want to do the rest of us a favour."

Brooke flinched, spun round, and nearly sliced his neck open on Umi's blade - which had, as Cerys had seen, been held to his neck since she crept up behind him, Umi waiting for a signal from Clef to make her presence known.

"_YOU!_" He snarled, eyes wide, but the pupils tiny.

"The Lady Ryuuzaki was chosen as my bodyguard for a reason, Brooke." Clef smirked at him. Well. At Umi, really.

"Because she keeps your bed warm at night!"

"Oh?" Umi let the corner of her mouth curl up, eyes cold. She raised the sword slightly, so the cold metal of the tip traced lightly over Brooke's neck. "That's news to me - I thought it had more to do with how _very good_ I am in a fight. As your _friend_ is now _very_ aware of. You should probably go clean him out of the hallway before Kuregu's security people get to him. I think they'd be very interested in how someone under your command came to be playing with acid in public spaces."

Brooke swayed slightly, too drunk to know when to back down. "With a _sword_. How very quaint." He slurred. "And hardly very believable, when someone pays any sort of _attention_ to you and the sorcerer."

"You'd stake your life on that? This sword has been used to defeat some of the best warriors and diplomats this Assembly has ever seen - theydidn't seem to find it quaint – nor the more usual power I have to draw on." Umi's hair began to whip around her, subtle blue sparks floating in the air; "that of my God, Selece, who is always within calling distance. And I _am_ allowed to act in defence of my Mage, with a certain level of… immunity, diplomatically."

"Go sleep off the drink, Brooke. I doubt you can do the same for the stupidity - more's the pity, really." Cerys snapped. Brooke swayed again, a faint look of bewilderment crossing his face. Like he was only realising _now_ that he wasn't controlling the situation.

"But…"

"_Get out of here." _

Clef snapped out the words, and Brooke was stumbling down the hallway before he'd even finished, away from the brighter sparks that had begun to flash in the air around him.

The three still in the hall were surrounded by a sharp, metallic taste to the air and after-images burnt onto their retina's, but both began to fade quickly. Clef, still glaring down the corridor after Brooke, flinched at a hand falling on his shoulder - but all he did was sigh, recognising Umi's touch.

"Clef." She scolded, though her face wasn't as serious as her voice – her eyes shone, cheeks flushed prettily. He looked down the corridor again instead of watching her.

"I know, I know. Bad mage, don't do that again, right?"

Umi huffed at him, her fringe flying with the sharp puff of air. "You shouldn't have done it at all - let alone mentioned 'again'! It's _my _job to frighten the losers who try to threaten you - you're stealing all my fun!"

There came a quiet laugh, and they both looked at Cerys, suddenly remembering her presence - she just waved a hand at them. "Don't mind me. I like you two too much to turn you in for irritation at a bug like that, who I would _dearly_ love to see squashed. Eagle Vision was far more tricky to get the best of - he was, even, a good man." And she raised an eyebrow at them, an obvious request for information.

While Clef smiled politely back, he picked his answer with care. "I... believe that Vision is a lot stronger than his enemies would like to believe. It wouldn't surprise me if Brooke only serves at this Conference." Which was nicely denying any insider information on what was happening in Autozam - only a mild lie. He had only a faint tug on his nerves and a hunch to help interpret the upheaval he wasn't going to broadcast to anyone, and he would never betray the private messages they'd had. "But thank you for your discretion. Involving the Guards will only end up wasting everyone's time over such a minor incident."

"He _was_ trying to shoot you. One might argue that as not particularly minor, Representative Clef."

"He could have _tried._ He could not, however, have managed. Even without being sloshed." He was _good_ at shields, and unless Brooke had shot him in that moment before he turned, there would have been no question of _Clef_ getting hurt. That, he was sure of. Sure enough that even Umi was relaxing, her sword cascading back into her gauntlet, and he was deliberately not thinking about ricochets or the moments before he'd known Brooke was there.

Cerys laughed again, and bowed, stepping away. "Very well. I shall see you both tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Cerys." Umi replied, and came to Clef's side as they were left alone in the corridor, the voices of everyone at the drinks still rumbling about the corner – a shock to remember there were people so close. Even drunk, that was a step further than he'd have thought Brooke going... Umi leant in close to speak to him, and Clef caught Cerys's glance back at them from the corner, and the knowing smile on her face. /..._Oh well._/ He thought, and focused on Umi. Who was pulling a face at him. "You look wide awake again now! Dammit, Clef - can I go whack Brooke over the head? _Please?_ He can't have got _too_ far - you were going to actually _sleep_ tonight!"

"I needed to get some reading done anyway, remember?" It was incredibly hard to keep a straight face as Umi flailed, speechless, then gave in and dropped her head to rest on his shoulder with a theatrical groan. "I won't do _too _much - but, Umi, there are bound to be a few people coming to see us after the drinks are over. I'll just read until they've stopped disturbing us."

"Promise?" She looked up. Her eyes were very very blue, this close. Every time he saw them he was struck by it again - something in that look made him stand up straighter and really _mean_ his vows, even the little ones.

"I do."

"I'll hold you to that." she warned him, and led the way back to their suite.

oOo

Despite _knowing_ that most of the people here had the afternoons free to meet each other and get on with actual work, Umi was still taken aback at the amount of people who had brought stuff in response to Clef's plea that afternoon. Print outs and handwritten notes in the usual spider-scrawl littered the coffee table in front of her.

Things would be so much easier, she thought, more than once, if Cephiro hadn't been allowed to keep the seat on the Inner Table either. But then she tried to imagine Clef knowing what was going on and being kept out of the arguments - he'd probably cope with that as well as she would, in his place. Which, given she was here, given she was going through papers she couldn't even _read_ to find the highlighted sections and save Clef time, worrying over a potential problem for a land not her own, and a bunch of others she had never heard of before a week ago...

She had to stop and laugh at herself then. Hells, she was at a mad alternate universe version of ASEAN, or the UN, something which had - was meant to have - nothing to do with her life.

But she wouldn't give this up. Despite how much she was missing Hikaru and Fuu when she had time to think, despite how strange and unnerving this all was, and how _very much_ she wanted to hit the next person who uttered the words 'Honourable Representative'... She glanced over at Clef, engrossed in his reading.

Besides, she was _helpful_. She'd done her job - an _important_ job - tonight. Not perfectly, or she wouldn't have had a panicked race back to Clef's side, but Clef's vivid description of what that acid could do had settled any fear she should have let that man run off with it.

Another knock came at the door. They'd been in their rooms maybe an hour, and there had been a steady rhythm of visitors, though it was slackening off now. Umi waited for Clef to look up from the notes he was making – ones he planned on showing Tatra and ChangAn tomorrow. He just nodded absently, so Umi went and carefully felt her way through opening the shield.

The shell of power running about the room was warm, almost ticklish under her palms. Clef had guided her through this after the second visitor, or perhaps the third, while they were still finding it hard to not wonder about Eagle and just what Brooke had meant about 'taking him down'. His hands laying cool over her own, he'd shown her how to gain access to his not-a-spell-spell, and coax it apart – though he'd made her find her own words for it, as usual. "Akero!" She whispered, and slid her hands apart - the shield slid aside as well. She opened the door and smiled at the waiting woman.

"My Representative sends this information and the support of Indira." The woman bowed, handed over a thin sheaf of papers, and was walking away before Umi could decide whether it was best to bow in return and lose sight of the few people in the hallway for those seconds. She shut the door, lay her hands on it again, and pulled the shield too with a soft "shimero".

Her fingertips lingered on the door a moment longer, brushing across the shield and watching the just-there sparks which lit under her touch. "That's another set of problems to drop on them. How many have we now? About thirty?"

"Maybe a bit over. Forty or so lands with issues, though a lot of them are the same problems repeated over." Clef muttered, never actually looking up. "It'd be better if any of them were lands with slightly larger _impact_, but it's something solid. If Tatra and ChangAn find anything in their own laws – then there's Cephiro, and I can run out Autozam's laws myself. Certainly had enough practise when we were setting the link up… "

Umi dumped the paper on top of a pile still to be sorted, and yawned widely. It wasn't actually midnight yet, but she wasn't sure _how_. It felt about two in the morning: today was _long_. "Do you think anyone else will be turning up?"

"I should think that's the last of them. You can go to sleep if you want, I'm just going to rattle through these..." he waved a hand vaguely in the direction of half the papers on the table.

"...Right." Umi shook her head and abandoned him, postponing the argument until she'd had a shower.

Stood with shampoo in her hair, she finally remembered the letter Clef had mentioned from Tatra - they'd been distracted by the first knock on the door. She hurried to chase the suds out of her hair and clamber into her pyjamas, rubbing her hair down with a towel as she burst back into the main room. "That letter!"

He started, then rolled his eyes and searched through the papers. "Of course, I forgot all about it. It was here somewhere - did you have to spread the papers out _quite_ so far?"

"Stop complaining or I'll drip all over them." She waved a lock of hair at him threateningly and curled herself onto the arm of his chair. He found the envelope, sat back, and she leant against his shoulder as he unfolded the delicate paper.

The note was handwritten in an elegant brush calligraphy. "Princess Tatra's own hand." Clef murmured, smoothing the pages. "She does their formal invitations too."

"Well, I can't really imagine Tarta sitting down to write them out."

Clef flicked a grin up at her, but stuck to the letter. He read aloud for Umi, one finger tracing the words as he spoke. "Master Mage Clef, with greetings of friendship and assistance, hello. Greetings also to the Knight of Water. With the work you have done to bring forth many people's support against the defence force, and the discussions at the table, I can confirm that the following lands of the Inner Table will vote with us: Fahren, Lundene, Gewaesc, Bebbanburg, and if you would talk to her, I believe Lady Eorl would confirm Solente's support, though I have been unable to speak with her. Wellesley of Cynuit has also indicated he is inclined to dissent, as has Meor of Eoferwic."

"How many is that?" Umi asked, trying to scribble the names down on the back of _her_ list, scribbling the names as close as she could get in western letters – katakana weren't going to work. "Lundene, Gewaesh..."

"Gewaes_c_." He clicked his tongue hard on the final sound, tapping the right word. "Then Bebbanburg. That's six votes definitely for us, with a possible three more... we could as well call it seven and two. Eorl's a politician through and through, but she has a sense of honour - and common sense enough. It wouldn't be in her land's favour to vote the other way." Clef missed the sharp glance Umi shot at him, still pouring over the letter. "I know for a fact that a good third of the tourists who go to Solente are from lands outside the assembly. I'm surprised at Gewaesc, though. Lady Kit spoke out strongly for Huginn-Muminn earlier this week."

"_If_ we had all these, though, that's nearly half the table! Does she list the opposition? Also, do Huginn-Muminn count as one vote, or two? I mean, they have two _people_ on the table, but everyone talks of them as one land, more or less..."

"They have one vote to cast. The joint seat was a play on their part to have enough power to get on the table, nearly a millennia ago - but the two lands spend so much time arguing with each other that they couldn't manage a single Representative without the other kicking up a fuss. They're like siblings: fighting each other most of the time, but together against the rest of the world. And, yes, she's listed them - oh. Though this could be problematic." A scowl flitted over his face, and he began to read aloud again. "I was unable to approach Wellesley or Meor at the party this evening. It's possible the display this afternoon may have swayed them away. The others, I am sure of, when it comes down to a vote. As for those in opposition, Huginn-Muminn and the Three are all certain to vote for the force, as are Tuede, Aquitaine and Gegnesburg, as well as Brooke's Autozam." Clef halted.

"...Eight." Umi whispered.

"Lady Reigan of Ealdor has been courteous and distant as ever with all of us, she could go either way. Samesu of Whit looks posed to follow the opposition. Kuregu will vote for whoever gains the majority among the other nineteen - I have attached a data crystal to this page to explain this, courtesy of ChangAn of Fahren, who has suggested our best option overall would be an assembly-wide referendum to drop the motion. We need over half the table to agree when we call for it, but you have support from over a third of the wider assembly, and more will be swayed by our winning a referendum: we have all to win, and the opposition all to lose, by doing this as soon as possible. I will contact Lord Wellesley, Lady Samesu and Lord Meor. I ask that you likewise speak with Lady Eorl, and try with Lady Reigan. ChangAn also intends speaking with Reigan tomorrow." He let the letter drop to his knees.

Clef sat back in the chair, and Umi leant harder on his shoulder, reaching down to slide a long, thin rectangle of glass-like crystal from where it lay through two slits in the paper. A fine network of white ran through it, like hairline cracks, but as she held it up to the light she realised they were a deliberate pattern coded into the stone. "She's saved us fighting the news for any actual information on Kuregu's fence-sitting. ChangAn has, at least." She caught light in the crystal and split it into a rainbow across the paper and Clef's elegant fingers. "...It's going to be close, isn't it. All that rambling and stalling in the talks, and most of them have already decided, just not announced it."

"...Yes." Clef held his hand out for the crystal. "Which means they've been wasting our time - but no point dwelling on that. Let's see what this is."

"And then get some _sleep_." Umi insisted. "You promised. You'll have to get up in the morning if you want to do anything more with this lot, or I promise you faithfully I will stand here and drown every piece of paper in this room."

"I know, I know! Come on, you have to get down before I move or the chair's going over."

Clef shooed her across the room to the comm, and slid the crystal into the side of the screen. The screen glowed softly, and illegible sentences scrawled across it. Clef flicked over them faster than she could even focus on the shapes.

"Look!" Clef hissed gleefully, pointing to lines and pausing long enough Umi could just about sound out the first words, not that it particularly helped her. "Kuregu's hands really _are_ tied - he can't weigh in on one side or the other unless it's blatantly going to win!"

"Explain!" Umi demanded, swatting his shoulder.

Clef waved a hand at the headlines. "Dleivus always projects such a stable image we all forget there are still parties - political ones - who oppose the government - _Kuregu's_ party. The international news channel they broadcast is all carefully edited, of course. _This_ is the _internal_ news feed - I'm not asking how ChangAn got hold of it. Seems there's been a scandal breaking over the past few months - some ruling party members were doing suspect things with the country's money to feather their own nests, including ministers. Now the other parties are claiming the government has become too authoritarian, and some of the accusations extend to their control of the Table here. But at the same time, there are _huge_ fears about defence coming up again and again. No wonder they really don't like me, by the way - you, either. The entire place seems to be paranoid about 'foreign mages'. They make us sound like a different _species_."

"...So he can't be seen to support the army, because that would certainly look like his party was trying to take over the whole galaxy, and he can't speak out _against_ an issue of defence because he'd be shouted out of office for making Dleivus vulnerable?"

"He probably couldn't look like he was influencing it in either direction, looking at these accusations about rigging the table." Clef said, reading on further - and wincing. "Though I could ask for fewer unflattering descriptions of me as the 'mad Cephiran wild-card, who might vote in any direction on a whim, or misunderstanding, or perhaps simply because it amuses him.' I'm not amused by any of it! I don't want to _be_ here!"

"Someone said that?" Umi craned over his shoulder to see the type. "Where?"

"I am _not_ teaching you to write _that_." Clef told her. He shut the screen down. "But it _does_ mean we can stop worrying about him wading in when we don't want him to."

oOo

Next morning the dining hall was bustling with people chattering in groups, scattered at first glance randomly along the breakfast tables; Umi paid closer attention to who was sitting where, and saw the lines drawn about the room. She followed Clef to a space on the edge of a group they'd seen in their cafe before; people they hopefully wouldn't offend by sitting with. Though Clef didn't sit down _right_ next to them - he maintained a distance of a few seats between them.

Granted, that might have been to claim an entire teapot for himself.

Umi didn't recognise the person who brought their food across that morning. She had ordered something a bit different - she was hungrier this morning than the day before, when she had been hungrier than the one before that, so Clef had pointed out something which, from his description, was rather like muesli. Hopefully the cereal and nuts would keep her full for longer. She'd asked for a plate of sliced fruit as well, uncertain she was actually managing a balanced diet... She'd been picking each meal without thinking about the others, too busy just trying to find something she wanted to eat. The fruit came first, with Clef's yoghurt, but the muesli wasn't too far behind.

When the waitress went to set down the bowl, she paused, looking at it, a frown growing on her face. "I'm sorry, Lady Knight... Something about this... it doesn't look right. I'll get you a different bowl. The kitchen staff must be too busy to pay attention as they should."

Umi blinked. The bowl was just within eyelevel, and she'd have accepted it fine - then, she had no concept of what it was actually meant to look like. There was a slight glitter of powder dusting a little of it: she'd have taken it for sugar, but Clef was looking too, now, and frowning. He held a hand out, over the bowl, and a shimmer of light spilled out from his fingers - it hit the surface of the food, and reflected back streaked blood-red. Clef's frown settled into a glare, and the noise around them cut out, as everyone turned to see what was happening.

"I suggest that this gets disposed of _very carefully" _Was all he said, and the woman nodded very quickly and set off with a carefully gliding speed, holding the bowl as far from her body as she possibly could while keeping it steady. Umi went to ask Clef what that spell had been, why - but he shook his head, and picked up his cup again. "Later." he murmured. "That's fine." With a nod at the cubes of fruit. "You should eat, by the time the other gets here we'll be rushing again."

"...Fine." She sighed, and jabbed a delicate two-pronged fork through one of the melon-like pieces. But Clef was wrong this time - the woman they'd sent off came back only a few minutes later with a new bowl and a flurry of apologies, the cook who had put this one together next to her to vouch for its safety. Umi smiled, and nodded, and glanced at Clef - he held his hand out again, and half the room watched as the light spilled out and came back clean and white. Then Umi accepted the bowl.

She was still hungry. What that said about her ability to adjust to people trying to poison her, she didn't want to know. Because either she'd got _used_ to it, or she was thinking of all this as unreal again, and she'd rather have adjusted than _that_.

They left the room a little later, on time - no one seemed prepared to be speak to them this morning. Clef walked them into the stairwell, then turned and took Umi's hand. "...Back to the room a moment?" He asked, wry, and she just nodded. The spell fizzed up, and away again - in fact, it seemed to spark more this time as their room came into place. Possibly because Clef had transported them straight through the shield? "That's the good thing about it being _just my spell_." He muttered, as if he'd heard the thought.

Ignoring the slightly creepy notion of unintended telepathy, Umi yawned and sat down. "Well, then. Was that the same as before? Why make the spell so visible? I thought we were being subtle about testing everything for poisons."

"We were - we _are_, but that wasn't the same, Umi. Far nastier, and far less well done: the girl had already noticed, remember? There was going to be rumours flying about within the hour even if we did nothing." Clef sighed pacing a little beside the bed. "Better to show them that spell and get what information I could than letting it go; besides, things have changed. We're in everyone's attention anyway. Erring on the side of being strong is better than the other."

"And I suppose this way not only is the other spell still largely a secret, but they might also stop trying to _poison_ me." Umi said, quietly. "Or you, for that matter."

"Though no one seems to have bothered yet this year." Clef said, dry, and when Umi looked up he was stood beside her, one hand held out. "I think our lies are working too well. If we weren't half pretending this was a romance, I doubt they'd be as quick to target you instead of me."

"Well, good." Umi retorted, accepting his aid to stand up though she didn't need it. She kept hold of his hand, realising that they would be transporting down to the hall as soon as the conversation was over. "That's what I'm here for. You aren't letting anything happen to me, so stop fretting over it! Besides, I don't think you could worry that much more even if we _were_ - You always care about all of us. And if I can keep a few of them off your back in return, it's all good. Shall we go?" She held out her other hand.

Clef shook his head, but again there was that smile lingering in his eyes, the one she liked drawing out of him. "Incorrigible, Umi." He took her other hand, and they dissolved through the air to face the morning and the eyes of the worlds.

oOo

It felt like only about five people in the room were actually paying attention to the talks as the sun rose higher over the stained glass above. Clef walked in and nodded a greeting to the table - and then bowed again to ChangAn, who was present in the hall for the first time in a while, sat bolt upright at the table with SangYung at his right hand, getting no end of consternated looks from various figures – including, Umi noted, a large proportion of glances from the Huginn-Muminn group. Even Cerys looked down to see him sat there.

But the meeting was starting. This morning she couldn't be bothered with the writing practise, she just doodled and paid a little attention to the circular rambling, not much. Every so often she glanced up and caught someone's gaze. The aides seemed to be just as bored as she was for the most part, though a couple seemed to have dragged their day-job down with them, reading quietly through reports and soliciting signatures from their bosses at the end of them. Nothing much involving Table lands was being brought up: it was a whole series of conflicts over trade and territory between small lands wanting arbitration.

There was one gaze in particular she seemed to keep catching, or maybe being caught by, beyond Cerys's efforts at the beginning of the session. That of the man sat at Lady Reigan's right hand, who before today had shown no signs of recognising her existence, just like his boss. (That hadn't seemed a slight to Cephiro so much as a general assumption that aides and bodyguards of all sorts - Umi privately suspected that this man was doing double duty on that front too, like Tatra's companions, and herself - were there to be seen and not heard. Unless, of course, you wanted them to do something for you.)

But as the session closed he walked right by her while Clef was trying to grab Lady Eorl's attention. "Both of you, please be behind the hall quarter of an hour before the afternoon session," he whispered. That is, Umi thought she heard him say that, but Clef made no reaction, and the man was halfway to the door before she could turn. Eorl managed to escape without talking about anything at all, and Umi told Clef – but he looked thoughtful, his frown fading out for a moment, which meant they were going.

They blasted into place behind the building with ten minutes before the session opened, Umi holding on with one hand only _just in case_ she needed her sword arm free in a hurry.

"You're late, Mage Clef." A voice rang out, before the sparks had even cleared from about them.

Clef, apparently driven into obstinacy by Eorl's slipping away and the many, many interruptions to lunch while he was trying to eat and read a letter SangYung had brought him in a rush, didn't even let go of Umi until he was _absolutely sure_ she was steady on the ground, let alone turn around to face his accuser. "As I had no say in the timing of this meeting, that's something I feel remarkably little guilt over, Lady Reigan." Umi gripped his arm harder for a moment, trying to imply a glare with force of will alone. They were trying to win Reigan _over_, not piss her off. But Clef didn't seem inclined to be polite. "I had other duties I found I must attend to before arriving."

Reigan stood watching them, a very tall woman, reminding Umi somehow of the old Greek statues of Athena, solid and unmovable as she faced them. A dark cloak fell from a large shoulder-piece which looked decorative, yes, but also like it wasn't just descended from armour, but was still up to the task. One man stood by her side - the guard-aide, the rest of her occasional retinue nowhere to be seen. In fact, beyond the side of the building and the long sweep of fields, there was nothing at all right out to the horizon. "At least you don't cower like Brooke does." She said, the words clearer than they should have been for the distance. "I suppose you'll have to do. I wasn't convinced after the past few years, but you seem to be showing some sense this time." And now Umi wasn't sure who she wanted to hit, Clef or Reigan, but this _wasn't quite_ what she imagined when she thought of _diplomacy_.

Though she seemed to look at Umi when she talked about Clef having sense, which, well, Umi wasn't disagreeing that finally accepting help was more sensible than Clef had been... that was better than applauding him wading into the spotlight, at least.

Clef narrowed his eyes at Reigan. They stood about five metres apart - normal etiquette would dictate that one party move closer, but neither of them were budging, instead having their conversation loud enough to carry. "Do I take it you're choosing to side with the dissenters?" He didn't need to clarify what they were dissenting to.

Reigan looked at them for another long moment. Umi could _feel_ Clef bristling beside her, which seemed to amuse Reigan, if the smirk that briefly quirked her lips was any indication. "I am." She said, and inclined her head a touch. With that, Clef seemed not to deflate, but do the verbal equivalent of suddenly losing all the wind in his sails. Fortunately Reigan didn't wait for a response. "I am not going to take part in your undignified squabbling, but I have chosen how I will vote, and that is in opposition. I hear you have been asking for problems in law which will prove a hindrance to the plan; these are ours."

She raised one palm against them, and a _gale_ sprang up, throwing up dust and ripping handfuls of grass from the ground. Umi went for her sword on reflex - Clef snapped her name out, and she froze, as he held up both hands in front of them, and a shield slammed into being, the air rippling visibly with the force of magic. Even with the wind being split and channelled about them, the sheer power in the spell slammed into Umi, a tightness in her lungs and her chest as the air there attempted to obey Reigan's commands. There was something white flying towards them in the debris, Umi couldn't see what, until it hit the barrier and Clef pulled it through, hissing something under his breath as he modified the shield with hurried flicks of his fingers, light snapping about him. Umi stepped forwards and caught the loosely bound papers before they hit the floor.

The winds settled, and Reigan was stood with her hands again at her sides, like nothing had happened. Umi could hear Clef's breath as he drew in long, deep slow breaths, invisible to Reigan and her aide. "I shall see you in the meeting." Reigan said, with that same slight incline of her head, which Clef returned - and then wind spiralled up about her and her companion, and both of them were _gone_.

A few blades of grass spun back down to the ravaged ground. Clef and Umi both stared at the empty spot for a long moment.

"...Reigan's a mage." Clef said, sounding thunderstruck. Umi laughed, a little shakily.

"I'd never have guessed, after that."

"...Reigan's a _mage._" He repeated. "I - Umi, Reigan's one of the strongest mages I have _ever met_."

_That_ caught Umi's attention. "...Stronger than the pillar?"

Clef blinked, and finally lowered his hands. "...No, not, quite. But getting there. More powerful than Zagato."

"...And it took all three of us to defeat him." Umi thought aloud, then winced at Clef's sigh. "Sorry, Clef. I know you don't like..."

"I'm not going to forget, Umi. I'm also not going to fall apart remembering it, or suddenly turn around and hate you." Every hint of how shaken he'd been was already gone. "In the mean time, if we don't hurry we're going to be late, _again_, and everyone's getting impatient. Best not to start by annoying our allies too."

"...Unless they're Lady Reigan?" Umi said, grinning. "You're lucky she seems to like stubborn people."

He went a little red, but waved off the comment. "She called the meeting, she'd obviously made up her mind - I doubt anything would change it once she was settled. Plus, we can cross her out for any assassination attempts." He snickered at Umi's incomprehension. "She wouldn't have attempted it. She'd have _managed_. Now, come on." Turning, he took hold of Umi's shoulders, and again the world fizzled out.

oOo

The afternoon spun out as the ones previously had done, with one exception - when Elphinstone and Robin started railing in a high-handed way about the 'torments and degradations facing various lands, as we witnessed yesterday' and implying that anyone who therefore spoke against them was an immoral criminal of some sort, Clef finally lost his temper. He slammed a hand down on the table, lifting himself half out of his seat and glaring at them, ignoring the wide-eyed looks he was getting from people like Lady Kit. "I am beginning to wonder," he said, voice like a knife blade, "whether some of the Honourable Representatives in this room are actually capable of listening to anyone but themselves."

"What-" Robin began, but Clef's glare intensified, and the air about him didn't spark, or glow, or anything quite so dramatic: it just pressed a little heavier, and Umi was torn between dragging him back into his seat and hitting him, or cheering. This was plainly the afternoon of Clef _abandoning politics_. But it was so _satisfying _seeing Robin stop babbling and sit down, after _so many days_ of babble.

"You keep on, and on, about a few videos - despite the fact that you were told plainly yesterday most of them are out of date. You've given us no proof, for that matter, that the other ones are _real_. Your government may believe so or not, but those about this table are _not_ in the habit of believing every word spat out by a stranger! You then set about abusing those of us who don't agree with your precarious declarations, despite the fact many of them have actually felt the true weight of war far more recently than you!"

"Some of them against each other." Giggled a quiet voice a little down the table - Umi looked, but couldn't see which of the secretaries it was. While most of the Representative had expressions of shock or horror plastered on their faces, many of the aides looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. *_...We're going to get kicked off the table providing entertainment for the bored masses._*

Clef ignored the interruption. Focused so tightly, he might well not have heard it. "We're wasting time puffing empty words about at each other. Come to the point, people!"

"The _point_, as you so put it, Clef of Cephiro," Elphinstone was towering brilliantly for a man who was sat down, and if people could actually hiss steam like a kettle left boiling dry? He would be through that and to the point of explosion, his knuckles white and his eyebrows knotted so densely to each other they formed a single, irate unit in the creases of his frown. "The _point_ is that there are many many lands which desire a practical, integrated Defence Force so that they can be _protected_ from threats which _do occur_, no matter how your little isolationist state dodged them for so many years, and you - you and others like you - are fabricating nonsensical problems to slow us down! Issues which amount to nothing!"

"Here, then." Clef thrust a hand out, and all of a sudden piles and piles of paper were flooding the tabletop, skidding out from the centre. People sat up and pulled their notes out of the way with startled yelps and hissing. "Here are some of the problems which _don't amount to anything_. Legal issues which would prohibit inclusion in an outside army, or at the very least require years of careful negotiations and amendments to individual constitutions. Nearly half of them actually state, plain for all to see, that the military of that land must remain under the _direct control_ of their government, no matter what happens. You claim I have fabricated these? You may check them yourself." Clef was speaking clearer, bringing his temper under greater control each second, but it was still there about him as he continued, the hushed table all, for once, paying complete attention:

"Yet more have prohibitive laws on taxation. In Cephiro, to use an example I'm sure some of you have been trying to work out, there is no actual way to form an army without changing the fundamental laws at the heart of her composition - and I can tell you now, the population is _not_ in favour of any more fighting. Even if you gathered enough votes for the change, there would be very few volunteers, and there is no other way of getting money or personnel, because we do not _tithe_, we _request_."

Which was news to Umi, as well as the people about the table, as where the hell was Ferio getting the money to pay her? Though no wonder Clef had been cackling over the copies of the oldest Cephiran laws. The ones no one bothered paying attention too now, but they were still _valid_, and all the council and the changes Cephiro was going through had been reliant on those older laws…

"Working for an outside power also takes away a significant amount of a person's rights on returning for a period which usually lasts a decade or so – not too many people choose to undergo that."

Clef was glaring at Robin, and Elphinstone - and then Brooke spoke out, indignant, and drew that look upon himself as well. "But! Your head guard - that Lantis fellow - he was part of the Autozam military for almost a year, and then he went back and took up his old job straight away! You're lying, Clef-"

The air flickered, and more than one person flinched. "I would watch what you're saying, _Representative_ Brooke." Eorl said in the hush after that, before Clef responded curtly.

"Lantis was the head of the guard, yes. After he came back from Autozam, he went through a full range of background checks and questioning sessions for half a year before he was allowed back into the guards, even on a probationary basis. It took another year before he was allowed to resume duties as one of the leaders - and even now, he must share the job with another, who is there partly to watch Lantis for the foreseeable future." Which sounded more impressive than it had been – Umi bit back her snicker. That first six months there hadn't been much organised _anything_, let alone a guard, everyone throwing themselves into setting the land back together. The questioning had mostly been Ferio and LaFarga asking random questions in the evenings when they were all too tired to move.

"We believe in a level of caution appropriate to the situation – Lantis is an excellent guard, and serves Cephiro well, but there is a check in place if anything were to happen. It's exactly what this so-called _defence force_ is NOT. This _army_ would be a catalyst for destabilising a situation which is currently sound!" There were rustlings about the table. "There are many similar examples in these -" He waved a hand over the papers, which Elphinstone was picking through, flicking them about with a fingertip as if even touching them was distasteful. He found the one Umi recognised as Reigan's, and his eyebrows shot up so far they nearly vanished. He stared at them, then the Lady Reigan, but Reigan hadn't even flinched at the air crackling (not that Umi was surprised by that anymore) but kept a perfectly bored expression on her face - and that was when one of the people with Brooke discovered Autozam's own laws were among the pile.

"How dare you!" Brooke spluttered, white-faced and utterly _livid_. "I never gave you permission to poke your nose into our laws!"

Kuregu slammed a fist down onto the table. Every head spun to face him. "You would do well to remember that the laws of every land are disclosed to all others within this Assembly, Representative Brooke, and that trying to conceal them is a crime with severe consequences. It would be a pity if Autozam slipped from the table due to... ignorance."

Which rebuke drew it _very plainly_ to people's attention that he had stopped neither Clef nor Elphinstone from turning a debate into a snarling argument. That probably answered the question about drinks - something to throw it was.

Clef tilted his head at Kuregu quicker than anyone else, and a nod flung the debate back to him. "Besides these problems, which I can assure you are only a small part of those which would be found if all the countries of the Assembly were assessed, there is one other, highly prohibitive circumstance which we have all forgotten. At the end of the Mage Wars, millennia ago, Cephiro was placed under an order to never form an army ever again - no military force is allowed to leave Cephiro's space. I was reminded, recently, that this prohibition was lain on a good number of lands which are now represented here at this Assembly - even at this table. Huginn, Muminn, Dalriada, Fahren... there are others of you. I would remind those of you who haven't paid attention to your history books that those laws were set down and enforced as one of the foundations of this very Assembly - they cannot be repealed without this Assembly _also_ being dissolved."

Now there was real shock on many of the faces about the table - even those on their side. Tatra might have been dissembling, but it was real enough on everyone else - apart from ChangAn, who had realised what they were all missing the night before and sent SangYung with a message to that effect. _That_ was the letter he'd been trying to read through lunch.

"But those are ancient history!" Ash was nearly on his feet, waving his arms about disjointedly. "Those laws can't have any possible bearing on _now_!"

Clef just sat back as Kuregu stepped in, yet again. "I would remind you, too, Ash of Norand, that this Assembly is run _by law_. Those laws cannot and _will not_ be ignored by _any_ member state, or they will answer to the full assembly in court about them!"

"Surely," Jyuudi began. "Surely there are ways in which those laws can be modified - this wouldn't be a case of a _Cephiran _army, or a Dlevian one. There must be ways to work around it. The same arguments that are used to let us defend ourselves within our lands despite the ban might..."

"Those laws state quite clearly that no unit, no groups of people, not a single element of an organised military outside native space should consist of members of states under the embargo." ChangAn stated, perfectly calmly. "And as those _ancient laws_ are responsible for the peace we have today, we would do well to let them stand, as they are. The mage wars were a horrific period of chaos, and the universe united in stopping a new outbreak. What will the worlds beyond the Assembly think of us, if those here try to open those doors again?"

"In addition" Clef took over with a grateful nod, "working around it would take resources for what many of us believe is an unwanted and unwarranted outcome; time, money, and effort which would be far better spent on improving relations with the outer worlds instead of antagonising them, fostering trade links, making us too valuable to be a target."

He would have continued, but Kuregu held up a hand, and Clef obediently relinquished the table to him without even a grimace, for once. "I regret having to call a halt to you, Representative Clef, but there are only fifteen minutes before dinner will start being served, and so we shall let your point stand, for tonight, and resume the discussion after the break tomorrow. In the mean time, as the only session then will be the morning one, I hope you will all enjoy yourselves at the ball tomorrow evening."

With that, they were dismissed. People spilled from the hall in a hurry, going in every direction, a good number of them hissing orders to find copies of the embargo, drag them out of dusty old libraries and clean them off to be examined in minute detail, looking for the cracks.

end chapter ten

Nb: I kept the magic in Japanese after going back and forth a whole bunch of times on which way it should be – I went with that because those are the moments Umi is really speaking to _herself_ – to her heart – and so she's using Japanese, because that's what she thinks in: in the manga the knights cast in Japanese, and the other nationalities all use their own words, whereas the rest of the time the translation I think Mokona must be running (I was backed up by Tsubasa and Holic!) has them all in one tongue, or at least that's how I made it make sense to me? – I'm still a little on the fence about it when I'm actually writing in English though. ^^;;;

Mabarai no Mizu: water of purification/ magic-cleansing water

Mizu no Ryuu: water dragon

Akero: open!

Shimero: close!


	11. Chapter 11

Um. Hi!

First, thank you so much for reading this far, and again to those who reviewed. It's been more a marathon than I ever planned, and I've learnt a hell of a lot by writing it – mostly by making all the mistakes possible, and then sticking a load of them on the internet so now I have to work around them. XD

This is the next chapter of this monster. It is – _again_ – not as much of the plot as I thought it would be (what was originally planned as a single chapter has currently spread into five. Whoops. But at least this is the fourth part?) proving me once more a liar – the Ball has moved again. *deep sigh*

But only to the next chapter. And I spent so long pretending that I could get away with a 14,000 word chapter before cutting it in half that the next chapter should be finished within the next few weeks, instead of months. Finishing this thing was one of my new years resolutions. I was distracted through November and December writing a book – now I'm facing editing it, and, believe me, the likelihood of procrastination via working on this instead is very high. XD

I just hope that people other than me are still enjoying it!

(Especially as I've now been poking at this part for so long I think I'm going mad…)

To answer a few questions briefly - yes, this is a good few years beyond the end of the original, so Umi and Clef have got to know each other somewhat better by the time this starts (though not too much, because Clef is very good at being Busy.) She is almost 18 now. Yep, I mean the HLE tag ^^ - though it's admittedly not largely present in this story. (It will get a LITTLE more so...) They didn't turn in Brooke or his associate because Clef's trying to look more approachable and less Dangerous Mage, but more because of Eagle's request that they steer clear of Autozam as much as possible. (Not that they're doing a very good job of it. ^^;)

I loved each and every review. Thank you so much!

~down

Chapter eleven : insidious things.

The evening again, and another round of pointless chatter with drinks held like props in every hand. They walked along, talked, walked a little more - this felt like a scene from one of those british dramas with the bonnets and the horses and carriages, when all the rich people went out in the morning to be seen walking, and went to parties in the evening: she remembered watching something like it with Hikaru and Fuu...

The surge of 'I want to be back with my friends!' was overwhelming, and the wave of irritation which followed it did nothing to soothe Umi's nerves, already battered by an hour shut in with a prickly Clef who wouldn't settle - meaning he disturbed Umi every few minutes, just when she'd remembered the homework packed away in her glove with a guilty start.

Really she should be working on that in the meetings, but she couldn't quite imagine summoning the brightly coloured 'advanced maths for high school students' onto the table, especially not with the doodles she'd been absently scrawling in it all year. (To the horror of her teachers, she had to admit, but she'd _bought_ the damn thing. It was hers to deface!) Many were almost-recognisable as people from Cephiro.

…She wasn't going to be showing Clef the book either. He would be worse. He might _recognise_ them.

This year was the most important of school. It was the last year of high school, University entrance exams looming at the end of it. She should be revising seriously. Or at the very least worrying about the lack of revision she had done. (She wasn't. Which at least worried her about something?)

She'd have to get it out again because she'd done barely a thing. Now Clef seemed calm as he talked with person after person but _she_ felt trammelled in by the crowds and bored besides, hovering silently at his shoulder. The only break came with Tatra who smiled and nodded to _Umi_, stepping in to chat while Clef finished up his conversation. (Umi kept hearing figures bounced about. Further reminder of the undone sums.)

"How are you tonight?"

"I am fine, thank you, Umi. And you?" Her smile got a touch softer when Umi hesitated. "…I would guess this is far more boring when all you have to do is stand about and listen to other people? My precursor's lone guard swore it was like torture to be stuck here on one's own - hence why I have so many people with me. They can at least keep one another entertained…"

"I don't know I'd trust Clef enough for me to have a conversation with someone unless there were about eight of me, like this." Umi nodded at the circle of Chizetan guards. "Otherwise I'd turn around and find he was actually _fighting_ Robin or Elphinstone."

Clef turned at that point and Umi smiled innocently at him, getting a frown for her efforts. "Good evening, Princess. How are you this evening?"

"Well, thank you, Representative Clef. How are relations with Indira?"

"It seems they've taken a liking to Cephiran fashion, which is a good sign for our meagre international trade." He lifted his drink to his lips, and then blinked when he found it was empty. "Huh."

"You've been talking too much." Umi took the empty glass from him. "If you'll look after him, Princess Tatra, I'll go and find a new drink before Clef loses his voice." Also, it would give her a chance to _move_. Clef hesitated, but when Tatra agreed he had little choice but to do so or insult her and her guards. Umi tried not to smile when he frowned at her and slipped away.

She had learnt the name of the three fruit juices on offer, and remembered which was her favourite, and which Clef's. (Now he actually found himself drinking to keep his voice clear he'd abandoned the pretence of the alcoholic flutes.) It was warm in the crowd, and even without talking very much Umi found her throat dry. The glasses were top-heavy in her hands, the long stems narrow and elegant and she worried she was going to snap them by accident if someone bumped into her. Surely they could use a larger room for these events, instead of crowding everyone in? But then in the confusion and the noise, it was less noticeable who was saying what to whom.

Inside she made it half way back before having to step behind a plant where she wouldn't be trodden on by a group of overly merry people making an unsteady wave towards the door. Busily watching them, it took a moment to realise that there was someone having a low conversation the other side of the fern, in the corner of the room. She looked through the green and recognised Cerys turned away from her to face the man who had the room next door.

Umi'd have stepped forwards at once and announced her presence, but Cerys seemed to be ticking off their neighbour, so she waited.

The wall kept her upright when the words she was hearing actually sank in: "-and _don't_ mess up the dosage this time! We're after loosened tongues, not random acts of violence. _I'm_ fed up with tidying your mess, and I doubt the Cephirans will be so obliging again."

"Yes, ma'am." She could see the back of the man's head through the fronds as he nodded, then he made his way through the crowds, leaving Cerys alone. Umi waited until she'd grabbed hold of her temper in both fists then stepped around it, blocking Cerys back into the corner.

"So that's why you showed up last night. You were playing games with Brooke, and they went wrong."

Cerys didn't even look embarrassed; tilting her head to one side, she watched Umi carefully. "If _I'd_ been playing games, I assure you that nothing would have gone wrong. Certain others who grabbed their place here through family connections instead of ability, though - I can't say the same about them, for which I'm sorry."

"Is this how you usually go about business? Drugging anyone inconvenient?" Umi just about kept her voice down, though no one was looking too closely. After all, neither of them were _representatives_.

Cerys shrugged, a sharp little smile on her face. "Brooke had been some small use to us, but he's an increasingly volatile tool. More a liability every day. We wanted an… honest conversation with him and his, shall we say." Her attention focused tighter on Umi. "Unless _you _had any information on the current state of Autozam to share with us? I'm sure we could come to some beneficial arrangement - to slip no more headaches into your meals, for one. Or your Honourable friend's."

If they'd been alone, Umi would have tossed her drink into Cerys's face – glass and all. Her hands tightened on the thin stems, fingernails biting into her palms. "You think I'd tell someone like you?" She hissed, and there were flickers of light gleaming about her gauntlet which had nothing to do with the chandeliers above. "Even if I _did_ know something!"

Nothing changed in Cerys's expression. "I assure you, Lady Knight, that my honour remains intact - after all, such little games are well known as a great longstanding tradition within Huginn and Muminn, and can offer some mutually agreeable ways around the usual paths of the Assembly. Take the Honourable Representative for Fahren, for example. She nodded across the room at ChangAn, who had drifted closer to Clef and Tatra in the interim. In fact, the room was slowly splitting down the middle: Supporters on the left, centred on the Three, and Dissenters to the right. Looking back, Umi was distracted for a moment by the realisation that of those undecided and circling in the middle of the room, only three were from the inner table: Eorl, Kuregu, and Samesu of Whit. Even Reigan was headed to speak with ChangAn.

"…What do you mean?" She asked, slowly, wrapping her anger down tighter inside her stomach.

"I never thought I'd see him in the afternoon meetings for anything but the votes. We've always had an unwritten deal with Fahren - Huginn-Muminn sends a mildly upsetting mixture in their lunchtime drink, which they pretend to take, and then they have an excuse to stay in their rooms all the afternoon getting on with business - and not interfering with ours until it's a voting day. Fahren's links are with the hundreds of small lands they trade with - Fahren's at the middle of the main trading route through the east of the Allied Lands, see. There aren't many other big fish in the area. The fighting over general strategy which the Table excels in doesn't do as much for them as the chance to talk with their allies."

"You mean you attempt to _poison_ ChangAn everyday?"

Cerys shrugged. "Everyone here knows about it." Apart from _you_, her look said. "There has never been a request to stop. We'd never really _harm_ anyone, of course."

"...Except when the dosage gets messed up." Umi said flatly. "Was this morning another incorrect measurement?"

"What, your breakfast?" Of all things, that got a clear reaction. The indignation was real. "Of _course_ that wasn't us - so clumsy a thing. I'd be ashamed to even know who it _was_. No. We may have done something... elegant, earlier in the week, but this morning had nothing to do with Huginn-Muminn."

"You did try to poison me two days ago, though."

"Well, we were guessing that your _friend_ was going to be... difficult. He's still too human to be predictable, unlike most of the rest of them who're well trained by the time they get to Representative. It was a mark of respect, really. You really would have been fine in a few hours. I've been given the stuff myself before. But I guess things like the light this morning aren't the only tricks he knows?" Umi refused to give her any answer. "...Just what one would expect from a Master Mage, I suppose. And a Magic Knight too, of course."

"_Thank_ you for your respect, then." Umi bit out. "If you'll excuse me, I have a job to get back to." _Before I demonstrate the level of '_respect_' I have left for _you_. _

She turned away without waiting for a response, fists tight at her sides, trying to calm herself down as she pushed through the crowd. Clef glanced up from his conversation with Tatra as she stepped up, and the look on his face told her she was failing. He made a quick farewell for both of them which Tatra accepted, and pulled Umi carefully to the side of the room.

"Umi, what is it?" He asked, gentle.

She didn't want gentle. She didn't want _soft_. She wanted to _hit something._

"Nothing important, just all these _creatures_ here getting on my nerves-"

"Right." Clef said, cutting her off when the light glinted about her glove again. "I think that's enough diplomacy for tonight." Taking her elbow he steered them both from the room as smoothly as possible, which on some level she was thankful for, because she didn't want these _people _around her anymore; but the anger in her chest clenched tighter and settled on him and the _insufferable care_ he was taking to sweep them away, sweep her out of the way - so what, _he_ was allowed to lose his temper, but she wasn't allowed to indulge in even a _moment_ of glaring at everyone?

She tore her arm away as soon as they were out of sight, and stormed ahead of him, slamming the stairwell door back against the wall and not bothering to see if it hit Clef. Let him follow _her_ for once -

There was another presence in her mind, the weight of another watching silence: she'd managed to be mad enough to get Selece's attention away from whatever act of creation Mokona was committing across the multiverse. She expected him to childe her, was busily winding up to spit retorts back at him; she'd forgotten, as much as she could, that Selece wasn't human. He just tasted her anger with her, a witness to it, and then drew back.

She might have been able to let her temper run through and let it go if Clef had managed to vanish from the universe for the next hour or so and left her alone. But that was impossible. (And she wanted a fight, but at the same time she was aware she didn't actually want to fight _him_.)

"Hey, Umi-"

"_Don't_, Clef!" Storming through the room, Umi kicked her shoes off. They banged up between the beds to hit the wall. "Not in the mood for any more _conversation_."

But he _needed_ to hear what Cerys had told her. Umi began gathering things to take a shower, planning to lock herself away in the bathroom and drown out the rest of the world, not looking at him while she got the report over with.

"Huginn-Muminn has a taste for poisoning. Apparently it's _traditional_, they wouldn't _hurt_ anyone - not _too_ much - Wednesday was them, Cerys denied the second attempt. Too _clumsy _for her delicate sensibilities. They send something to ChangAn each day, he pretends to drink it then gets on with _real_ work instead of prancing in circles about Kuregu's circus with the rest of you, except for the days when he doesn't, and Brooke and the acid were egged on by a mistakenly high dose of something meant to make Autozam chatty. I'm having a shower."

She had to pass Clef to reach the bathroom door. Even focusing beyond him, the startled comprehension on his face grated further on her abused resilience; the backs of her eyes began to prickle and she was _not having that_. She sped up.

Clef grabbed her elbow as she charged through, and momentum twisted her about to face him. "Stop it." he told her, each syllable very precise.

Eyes prickling harder, Umi had to blink. Her eyelashes parted damp. "Let go. Please."

His hand was very warm at her elbow. When he stepped closer, his grip loosened, and Umi should have pulled away, got away from him and hidden the moment of weakness because she didn't want him, of all people, seeing her like this...

_But is that really fair, when you're asking him to lean on you?_

The moment's doubt held her frozen and instead of bolting she stood and let him lean in, wrapping her into a tentative hug.

Umi took a deep breath and felt it shake her; each second of his offered comfort wore her down until she dropped her nightclothes, held on, and buried her face against his neck so at least he wouldn't see her. Her eyes prickled harder.

"I miss Cephiro." Clef said, his voice quiet and the words offering a trade. "I miss being somewhere people don't play at dressing our food with poison, or pretend familiarities they aren't welcome to take." His arms were warm about her, his heartbeat steady where her cheek pressed against his pulse.

"I miss Hikaru and Fuu and our _friends_." Umi sniffed a little.

"...I miss making Ascot do my paperwork."

Umi hit him on the shoulder not supporting her head. She wasn't crying, but ragged laughter gave her lungs _ideas_ about sobbing which she _did not want encouraging_.

"I miss my staff." Clef confessed, seriously this time. "I'm so used to carrying it around that it doesn't feel _right_ to be without it, especially talking in front of people. I miss the way Ascot makes a large pot of tea late in the evening, pours himself a cup, and then leaves the rest on my desk. He stays up more often than he should helping me along, and then Caldina appears in the middle of the night with food and a scolding for both of us: I miss that too."

"The way Fuu wakes up _really slowly_ some days. She gets dressed and goes to breakfast and smiles so normally you don't even realise the conversation you're having doesn't really make sense."

Clef laughed, shaking underneath her cheek, and she wound her fingers tighter in his shirt. "The way Lantis looks at Hikaru sometimes, completely confused and enthralled at the same time, when he thinks no one is watching."

"Oh, yes - and the way he does the exact same thing to Eagle. It's really sweet." Umi took a steady breath, and then another. Her head hurt, but she felt grounded in her skin again instead angry enough she threatened to burst. Leaning back so she could actually see him, she said "thank you."

He shrugged. "I just thought, a lot of the time when I storm about and shut myself up, being angry is actually making me feel really lonely, and that makes me angrier, then I'm miserable for longer."

"...I'm going to remember that." Umi promised him. "I just... I thought she was nice, you know?"

"I know. All too well."

She sighed. Clef's arms were still wrapped about her, and her hands tangled in the cloth by his waist; it was comfortable, and she didn't know how to step away without making it uncomfortable, so she stayed there, looking at him, and now she was thinking about how close they were she was becoming more and more _aware_ of it. The heat of his body pressing against hers. She could feel the movement with each breath he took. The silence stretching between them implied the same for him, the way he stayed still with her, though this half-embrace was a strange pose-

There was a knock at the door. Umi blew out one deep breath, and went across to pull the wards aside before Clef got there.

The person stood outside was none of those Umi expected; it was Spark, glancing about the hall and bouncing on his heels a little. When the door opened, he looked at her, startled though it was his knock being answered. "I have some - may I come in? I have something to tell you both."

Umi stepped back and waved him inside. When she'd shut the door, he started to relax - only to jump again when the wards flashed closed.

"Good evening, Honourable Representative, Lady Knight. I didn't know whether I should come to you, or wait until I saw you again, but I thought you needed to know - both of you."

"Here, have a seat." There was no free space among the papers on the sofa or the armchairs, so Clef drew a seat from the air, like he had for Umi so often before. The chair, all its swirls and jewels, looked so out of place in this room that it jarred. Spark blinked, laughed a little shakily, and sat down with his eyes on it as if he expected it to dissolve under him. "Why didn't you want to come here?"

"I didn't know if I'd be seen. I mean, his people are everywhere, and if they know that _you_ know, you'll be in more danger - but I don't know it's _him_, not really, and... I'm sorry, I'm babbling." Again he laughed, and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "It was a bit of a shock. I was fine while I was angry, but I'm too tired to be angry anymore."

Umi found a clean cup, and spelled it full of cool water. Spark sipped it slowly. His hands were so tight at first that his knuckles were white about the cup, but as he drank his hands loosened, and the colour came slowly back. Clef waited until Spark sighed and sat up straight, opening his eyes and nodding readiness.

"What did you come to tell us?"

"From the beginning, this time? Well. In the kitchens, it seems I was noticed talking to you, so when the people serving the dining hall this morning worked out who must have got you your food, my Lady, they came to me. There were several people in the kitchens at that time - it was none of the normal kitchen staff, we all know each other fairly well, and we all know it would be fairly stupid to do something with the food. We'd obviously be the first suspects. There were a few shift workers in there, and a couple of the security people came in to grab a drink, but the only person who was about at the right time, in the right part of the room, was - well, one of Lord Kuregu's _secretaries_." He spat out the word like it tasted bad. "Mikke, I think her name was."

Clef turned sharply to catch Umi's eyes, her own startled reaction mirrored in his. Spark was looking at his drink, and carried on, voice lowered as he spoke largely to himself.

"She must have assumed, just because we're working for him too, that if we noticed we wouldn't say anything. I never thought he'd be involved in something like _this_ - I mean, I never voted for the guy, and I know a lot of the people around him are the type you wouldn't be trapped in a building with, but _murder_... I thought he had _some_ honour! He swore to preserve the life of everyone here as host, and then to send one of his people to..."

"I don't think Kuregu did send her." Clef cut in, and Spark looked at him hopefully. "Not least because if he were to want an assassination, I don't think it would be anyone so obviously associated with him - and the Lady Knight and I have seen Mikke speaking with someone else I know would like nothing better than for us to drop dead as soon as possible."

"He wouldn't care much which, either, though he does seem to have an urge to shoot you himself." Umi muttered. "Though, if you look at the timing – he could have given the order after he failed."

The oval chair rocked back a little as Spark sat up hard. "...That would be Brooke of Autozam, then?"

"How do you know that?" Clef asked, sharply, then deflated. "Oh, Umi came to you with the acid, didn't she."

"I didn't tell him who had it, though."

"No, but I asked which store had lost one. I have a friend working in security, I asked him to have a look at the recordings from the hallway monitors. Not that that was much help - there were several distinctive gaps in the footage that night, including half an hour's worth of a hallway just by the hall where the drinks were held, and a few others close too - one of which has a very damp looking man in it when the cameras come back. I guess Mikke got into security and erased that along with her actions in the kitchen. But there were a few cleaners running in and out of it, they saw the Autozamnian going in. He was more careful, apparently, coming out, but when they heard I'd asked about acid..."

They both stared at him. Spark blushed a little, shrugged. "Like I said, word got around that I've spoken with you."

"And people want to help us?" Clef was immensely sceptical.

"Hey, you're a lot more interesting than a lot of people around here! You keep us downstairs entertained. Besides, you two do your own housework. That gets you a lot of points! And _you've_ never once left your room a wreck - news gets passed on from previous teams." Spark grinned. He sat back in the chair now, forgetting to hold onto the edge of it. "Also, you didn't hold it against me when that food exploded, when you might well have thought I was the one who tampered with it. That was a spell, right? Because no way did I slip, never that drastically. I haven't been that clumsy since I was a teenager and growing too fast. That's enough of a reason for _me_ to be on your side, even without the defence force thing."

"What, Clef painting you with food?" Umi grinned, Spark blushed, Clef frowned at her. "Don't some of you want this army?"

"Believe me, the housework thing counts far higher among a lot of us, but in general? Not really, no. Certainly not while our government is Chair of the Assembly, and who'd want someone else in charge of something like that? It's too much power. Also, it would make it really easy for people to move troops about and infiltrate Dleivus or anywhere else, disguised as Assembly Forces. Currently you might be able to wear our uniform, but if your magic or weapons are different you'll still stand out."

"...Huh. I don't think anyone's brought that up before now." Clef blinked.

"Well, we're a rather paranoid culture." Spark shrugged. "We wail about being in control here, but I think they'd wail more if we weren't. I thought Representative Kuregu had kept his position because he had been cleared - I'm beginning to suspect he's kept it because no one looked too closely at him. I mean, everyone knows that half the secretarial staff are here just to gather information, but that's something entirely different to getting mixed up in _murder_. Even if he didn't send her out, he should have known something was wrong. It shouldn't have been able to happen."

He was frowning harder and harder by the second. Umi rather wanted to ruffle his hair; he reminded her of Ascot. "Still, no one was hurt; your colleague had spotted something was wrong and was going to do something about it too, remember." She smiled. "Was there anything else...?"

"No, no, that was it - well, besides this. Witness statements and a clip of footage showing Mikke in the kitchens, the interesting gaps in the security files, and her going into the room where they keep the footage. Her video editing isn't the best." He handed over two data chips, the same sort of crystal as they'd had from ChangAn.

Clef smiled at him. "Let me guess. When they knew in the security suite that you had been asking around, they came to you?"

"Better. It's my friends there I was heard asking about Mikke and the acid." Spark returned the smile, and handed the glass back to Umi, looking like a different man to the one who had walked in. "I should leave you to your rest. Thank you for your welcome." He scrambled up out of the chair and went to the door, forgetting the shield - he'd reached for the doorhandle before Umi could warn him, and a short crack of bright light had him stumbling away just as hastily, shaking his fingers. Clef came across and caught Spark's hand, checking it over quickly as Umi headed for the door.

"I'm sorry about that. Here, let me-" Clef mumbled something and another strange light shone for a moment as he cast a short healing on the reddened fingertips.

How Spark kept still for it with such a poor warning, Umi had no idea, but he certainly looked relieved to be leaving moments later. She shut the door and the shield closed behind him. "That was a little mean to someone trained to be paranoid about foreign mages."

"Which?" Clef looked at her. "The shield snapping at his hand, or the healing?"

"Both?" She turned to the door, and ran her own fingers over it. The spell was certainly tangible, a warm sort of vibration with a glow following the pressure of her fingers against it, but there was nothing like that static shock. "Why did it bite him? Why not me?"

"Because I know you." Umi raised one eyebrow at him, wanting something more of an explanation. "No, it really is that simple, at heart. This shield isn't much more than raw magic - I know you, so _it_ knows you, and knows you are allowed to be within it. It wouldn't snap at him from outside - outside is where strangers are meant to be. But here..." He turned away.

"I think I see." She patted the door one last time before leaving it with a yawn. "What do we do about Mikke? Are we going out again?"

"Not tonight." Clef said, and smiled as she sighed in relief. "I'll set the alarm for early tomorrow, though, and we'll catch Kuregu in his rooms before he goes to breakfast. It was attempted murder and we have proof, he'll have to arrest her while they investigate at the very least, and that will be one less person to worry us."

"That sounds fine. It probably won't _then_, but..."

"Umi, please stop talking and get to bed, or it'll be time to get up before we're even asleep."

"Hark at you!" Umi huffed, but she was already picking her nightclothes back up, resolved to forgo the shower she'd only wanted as an excuse to hide, anyway. It wasn't until they were both in their beds, the lights off, that she realized.

She still missed Hikaru and Fuu, but the ache of it hadn't returned.

oOo

The alarm really did ring obscenely early, and Umi dragged the covers back over her head until Clef came across and shook her. Repeatedly. She woke up in a hurry when she moved, because they'd beaten the heating system awake; there was a bite to the air which rushed her along until they were walking up to Kuregu's door.

It was like any other in the Hotel, except the two guards posted outside. "We've come to see Honourable Representative Kuregu." Clef said, and no more, waiting as one knocked on the door, muttered into some kind of headpiece hidden in his helmet, and Kuregu's head aide came to open it. Chrissy looked unsurprised and bowed briefly.

"Follow me, please."

Inside, there was a long corridor lined with shut doors; the whole of Kuregu's team must be staying here, or at least working here; it was more a wing than a suite. Chrissy kept straight on until the room opened into a receiving area, and waved them towards one of the ubiquitous sofas. "Representative Kuregu will be with you as soon as he is able." She told them, offered cups of tea which Clef politely refused, then faded back against the wall to wait.

Kuregu swept in five minutes later, when Umi had grown bored with counting all the plants in the room and had moved on to the tiles in the ceiling in an effort not to fidget. How Clef was keeping still… but he seemed completely awake.

_I wonder how many cups of tea he got through before he dragged me up?_

"Good morning, and how may I be of assistance to Cephiro?" Kuregu sat opposite Clef and raised one thin eyebrow. Chrissy came forward to pour a cup for him as the sundry other people who had been walking through now melted away, leaving the four of them seemingly alone.

"This is more us helping you, Honourable Representative. Unless you approve of your staff becoming so entangled with another world that they take to attempted murder on someone else's orders?"

Kuregu settled slowly back in his chair. "I take it you have proof of such a thing? I do not allow baseless accusations against my people, anymore than I allow them to be levelled against other Representatives here. This is in reference to the attempt made to poison Lady Ryuuzaki?"

"Which time?" Umi muttered, loud enough he must have heard. Kuregu's lack of reaction made it plain he both knew about and was resolved to not acknowledge in any way the antics of Huginn-Muminn while he was head of security. Clef tapped her arm lightly, and Umi settled further onto the sofa - but not far enough back that she couldn't spring to her feet in a hurry. She wasn't going to relax in here for a _moment_, and she was_ not_ going to stop glaring at the bastard who happily let people run around harming others if they were powerful and old enough to call it 'tradition'.

Clef held out the recordings Spark had given them. "You will be aware, of course, that Mikke has been meeting with members of the group from Autozam, in public spaces as well as private. That Brooke and the others have a grudge against both my companion and myself is, of course, common knowledge." Kuregu bowed his head fractionally.

"These will, I believe, be enough to prove her involvement in the poisoning. I thought it best to let you question your security guards over their failure to keep the footage safe, and of course it is up to you to determine whether you wish to investigate who ordered the incident. Cephiro will be bringing no charges against Autozam at this time, or any other who should prove to be involved. We do, however, request a full report of the investigation. I trust you will be able to deal with this without interference?" Clef asked, and Umi couldn't resist glancing back at him - his expression was mostly a mirror of Kuregu's expectant raised eyebrow. She bit back a laugh. "I do have copies of this information and can bring charges myself, if that becomes necessary later."

This was all the needling Kuregu would take. He leant forwards. "While the topic of security complaints is... on the table, so to speak, there is another matter I feel I should bring to your attention, which would need inclusion in any official reports dealing with Cephiro at this Conference." Kuregu said, with an oily look of... compassion? A parody of it, at least. Clef didn't move, but the hair on Umi's arm closest to him began to stand up as the air thickened. "Something I have only recently been made aware of. It seems there may have been an incident, two years ago - or was it three? In which, regrettably, a member of staff was injured..."

Kuregu raised an eyebrow at Clef as he trailed off, and Umi only just managed to keep still. Was he saying _Clef_ had-

"There are apparently a number of recordings. It would take some time to put them together, of course, but if you wished to speak of the investigation into this 'Mikke' to anyone outside of these walls, well, I am sure the archivists would hurry and make both reports public. Though I fear the second might have some negative impact upon you... if it were not a _full_ report. In fact, I am sure it would, and with such pressure on them I'm worried the archivists would certainly miss some... mitigating detail?"

Clef relaxed back into the sofa, and Umi would have thought him completely calm but the hair on the back of her neck was rising now, her scalp beginning to prickle. "I wondered when this would come up. I've been waiting for two years."

Kuregu bristled at the calm tone, rearing back in his seat. "Indeed?"

"Now you mention it, I'm finding this all rather... anti-climatic. Is it not rather below your dignity to attempt blackmailing me in person?"

"_Blackmail_? Why, I _assure you_, Master Clef, I have mentioned _no such thing_ - do you realise the insult you might do with such an ugly word?"

"Come, now." Clef sat forwards and the air crackled about him. More than one person's hand flinched for their weapon, and Kuregu's outrage was dropped sharply for a wary look. "I give no insult to match the one you give _me_ in thinking I'd not warn others their lives might be in danger if you do not take her in. And again in not doing your homework. Cephiran law protects the coerced and punishes the coercer, there are similar rules written into the international treaties, particularly defending mages whose power is taken from their control, and if you really think that footage would damage my reputation then I reckon you have overestimated both what happened and my standing here. Most of these people suspect me of far worse."

"...I think you underestimate how your reputation has grown, these past years." Kuregu said, slowly.

Clef shrugged. "It makes no difference. I would always take the chance."

"If I released it today, while you stand at the head of this movement..."

"Then another would step in Dyson of Lundene enjoys an organisational challenge, or there is ChangAn of Fahren - or there is always Lady Reigan. And if the vote failed, if the impossible happened, _you_ would be left to explain to Dleivus exactly why you had grabbed the chance to gain a military stranglehold on the rest of the Alliance. How long would you give your career then?"

"A threat in return, Representative Clef?"

"Hardly. Just pointing out the truth, as it seems to have slipped your mind."

"...Very well. I sometimes think it a pity you were not given the usual apprenticeship here, Master Clef. Other times I find myself rather glad of it." And with that ambiguous statement Kuregu dropped the matter like he had never raised it. "Now, I believe we have nothing more to discuss at this time and I have a new investigation to oversee, so if you would..." Kuregu waved a hand at Chrissy. "Have Mikke brought here." He ordered, and nodded to Clef and Umi.

"Of course." Clef got to his feet, Umi pushing up beside him, and he gave Kuregu the merest bow Umi had seen yet.

Together they followed Chrissy as she melted away from the wall and made her way out of the room. Umi waited for three turns, until Chrissy and the guards who had followed her were firmly out of sight, before she walked fast enough to catch up. "Hey, what was that about? Are you alright?"

Clef smiled. He was pale, but no more than he had been since they'd woken up that morning; the snap was gone from the air. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just a hangover from my first ventures here, when he decided I was enough of an irritant he wanted a hold on me. It didn't work out the way he planned, then or now. We've more important things to consider; how to get those final few votes, for one."

"...That was very _vague_, Clef - Clef?" Umi grabbed at him as he suddenly faltered and swayed into her, one hand flying to his forehead. "Clef! What is it? An attack?" There was no one in sight, but Umi, heart beating wildly, was ready to draw her sword by the time he shook his head.

"Autozam again," he bit out, and his next breath had the ghost of a moan in it. He was trembling. Shivers wracked his body as he leant heavily on her.

Wrapping both arms about him, Umi stared about the empty hall for something which might help, for an _idea_ - it was reflex to call for help. /_Selece! We need you, quickl_y!/

/_What is the - ah. Yes._/ Comprehension flooded the deep voice. It rumbled through Umi's head and she wanted to flail at him for lack of speed, but she needed both arms to keep Clef steady.

/_Help him! Can't you cushion him or something?/_

/_This is a surge of power from another place entirely. I am not certain I can, little one._/ He sounded dubious, for the first time Umi could remember, but Clef's breathing was ragged against her neck and she was desperate. He seemed worse by the second, when before he had only seemed ill, this was something more.

/_Please!_/

Before Selece could do anything Clef swore and looked up at the sky. Cold trickled down the back of her neck, like a drop of rain trying to seep into her skin, and she struggled to hold Clef upright as he abruptly let go of her to raise his hands, silver light beginning to splutter from them. "Tracker." He hissed. She remembered that day in Cephiro and the horror of the spells hanging overhead, trying to find him – and now they were trying to find her, too, the alien touch running down her spine like a bloated raindrop. "Need to shield us-" But the magic wasn't responding to Clef, the light snapping out of existence, and the effort had him grey-faced and slumping to the ground. Umi hissed and knelt down with him, one arm about his back.

She wanted to squirm away from the tracker, didn't know how to make a shield, and could think of only one desperate way to safety. /_Selece, I'm not moving without him._/ She ordered, and drew her sword,

"SELECE!"

The summoning magic whipped about her and she clung on to Clef tight as she could, praying that her faith in Selece was no mistake.

oOo

end chapter eleven

oOo

…next part soon. I promise! *RUNS* (Crit and comments adored – I'm going to be adventurous and attempt to answer them this time! ^^)


	12. Chapter 12

For once I have the next chapter ready in a timely manner – and even look to be getting the next few at least up in the weeks to come. There are only a few more dominoes to set up now before I begin knocking them down… (Yes, arresting Mikke was a set up, not a knock down…)

Again, I have to thank the people who are still reading after so very long!

I have a few other Rayearth things nearing completion (with only a few scenes to go), which should be joining this in the next few months – having learnt my lesson on my inability to stick to a posting schedule, I'm going to finish them first. ^^ Also, I'm concentrating on finishing this. ^^;

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated! I hoard reviews like a jealous dragon, though I feel horribly shy about them.

oOo

Chapter Twelve : Playing Dress Up

oOo

The summoning dragged at her, but did _not_ want to take Clef. It was like a sharp undertow dragging her underwater and out to sea, but instead of her legs it wrapped about her shoulders and roared in her ears, washing out the hallway and all of Clef but what Umi held on to with her left arm wrapped about him. That grip anchored her firmly to the corridor. The spell grew stronger second after second, and she could barely breathe from the pain of it trying to tear her free. The ache nearly blocked the trail of cold steadily creeping between her shoulder blades.

Umi grit her teeth and _would not let go. _ She dropped her sword, got her other arm down to wrap about Clef as well, fighting for each inch of motion. She'd never resisted this spell before, and spots began to fizzle in front of her eyes as she tried to breath and couldn't. _Both of us!_ She chanted to herself. This was _her_ summoning and it could _damned well do what she told it to-_

She felt Clef move, shuddering as the spell took reluctant hold of him as well. Relief hit like a punch to the chest and for a moment – just a moment – her hands loosened.

The spell surged and ripped her away from him.

_No!_

Umi twisted and battered herself against the magic as it rushed on, her desperate shout lost in the rush of water and the stinging of salt-spray on the back of her throat, in her eyes, and she was tossed, alone and disorientated, into the warm bubble of Selece-as-Mashin.

"Clef!"

She had reappeared floating high in the air, nothing about her but empty space and the Venue a tiny mark in the bare green land below. She turned towards it, her cloak wrapping about her legs in her hurry to dive back down, and then stumbled when Selece's will held the Mashin in place, freezing her as well. /_I have him, Umi._/

"But – what?"

/_Look at our hands._/ Selece's voice chided her gently, and she looked forwards and down, the disorienting effect of both being the Mashin and inside the Mashin both making her head spin a little before she managed to see Selece's hands cupped protectively together, soft blue light surrounding them, and Clef laying inside.

The sound Umi made then was undignified and embarrassingly like a sob, but thankfully only Selece heard her. She blinked hard to clear her eyes, still stinging from the extended rush of the summoning and prickling harder now. Selece let control go slowly, and Umi pulled them upright in the sky again.

Clef looked so small and pale in those dark clawed hands. "Is he-"

/_Just fainted. There was too much magic, and he would keep trying to shield both of you._/ Selece sounded approving despite the words. /_I seem to be keeping the worst of Autozam's upheaval from harming him further. But you will have to deal with the other spell._/

Other spell?

The tracker, with impeccable timing, reached the level of her heart and stabbed cold through her. Umi gasped and drew Clef in closer, pulling the wings and the strength of Selece about the both of them and working one of those clawed hands free of the strange bubble, because she needed a hand to cast magic with and she could already see the fireball screaming up through the air towards them; orange and red with a sickly flickering blue light cracking through it.

Umi's thought as she drew a breath and reached deep into the touch of her magic was _I really need to learn to shield_. No new words came to her, and she committed to the usual path – throw as much power as she could at every obstacle. Drawing her sword would waste time, so she just flung her arm forwards. "Kouri no yaiba!"

The ice was the fastest attack she had. It slammed into the fire maybe fifty metres away, and the shock wave rocked her back another few even as the fireball burst on up through the steam and smoke of the crash, a fraction smaller but just as fierce as before. She could already feel the heat of it, burning on her legs even through her long boots.

"_Aoi tatsumaki!_"

Her second spell crashed down, the cyclone of water pouring down from her hand and swallowing the ball whole. The funnel bulged and steamed where the fireball battled on inside, dark lightning shrieking out through it in all directions; Umi bit her lip hard and flung more and more water down. Her lungs burnt with the effort of dragging air in as the atmosphere shook from the rising heat. The spell rattled against her palm as the water flung itself into existence, and the vibration ran up her arm, made her shoulder ache. But Selece was all about her, his power keeping her steady, and she steeled herself against him and kept on going.

A bare three meters from them, it shrieked like a kettle boiling dry and fizzled out of existence.

A cloud of steam rose up about her as the resistance against the waterspout cut out, and she nearly tumbled over. Umi could see nothing but white for a moment, and hurriedly uncoiled the Mashin's wings to fan away the steam, squinting to see through it – but there was nothing else in the sky to threaten them, and the freezing pain in her chest faded away.

Umi relaxed, her shoulders crunching when she rolled them as they loosened up for the first time in days. The bulk of the Mashin about her was incredibly comforting for something she couldn't easily see, familiar and not safe, not exactly, but powerful. She felt more in control up here than she did below. She was relieved, and proud of herself.

And also worried, because through all of that Clef remained unconscious.

With Selece's hands keeping Clef close in to the Mashin's chest, he was right in front of her; close enough she could see the beads of water on his hair and clothes which had strayed from her attack. They caught the light as he groaned quietly, and began to shift.

Her claws flexed closer about him. It must have felt strange. He certainly sat up quickly enough, sparks snapping in the air about him, and giving Umi pins and needles in her fingers.

"Hey! Stop that, I don't want to drop you!"

Clef's head snapped up, and he stared up at the Mashin, eyes very wide.

"…Oh. Um. Umi?"

"Yes. Who else has a dragon-god to hand?"

"Ah." He blinked, slowly. "…It's the first time I've seen a Mashin this close. Lord Selece is very impressive."

/_Tell the mage I am pleased he should think so, but would he refrain from moving too much, or I will lose hold of the cushioning about him._/ Selece boomed, and Umi passed the message on, tagged with her own to hold on tight. Clef turned to look between two of the massive fingers and sat very still when he realised how high they were. He swayed for a moment, closed his eyes, and leant against one strong finger.

"You need not worry. I'm not moving." He said. "…I'd wondered before what a summoning is like from the inside."

"Not normally much like that." Umi shrugged, and watched Clef bite his lip instead of laughing at the Mashin shrugging, his eyes still rather too wide. "Do you feel alright? That blue about you is Selece trying to mute Autozam. Is it working?"

"Yes, actually." Umi worried some more as he blinked, still slowly, but then he shook his head and seemed to drag himself back together, sitting up straighter and loosing the stunned expression for a frown. "Does Lord Selece know what's happening in Autozam?"

Selece's disquiet lay thick about Umi. /_No, I cannot. Mokona has kept all knowledge of Her to Himself, and I cannot tell enough through the echo of the disturbance in the Mage._/

"That's… unhelpful." Umi sighed. She relayed the message to Clef again then asked "is it at least settling down? We can't stay up here all day. We must be missing breakfast already. The assassin doesn't seem to be trying anything more for the moment… not this one, anyway. Clef, you said that coldness was a tracker. Isn't that what was trying to find you before, in Cephiro?"

"Yes." He sighed. "Though they had a better idea of what they were looking for this time. It caught on to both of us fast. That shouldn't be possible with someone you don't know very well, unless you have detailed information about their magic so you can identify them by aura instead of name. But it was the same basic spell and I'm almost certain it was the same mage. There was a spell caught on its tail again – did we leave the range of it, do you think?"

Umi laughed shakily. "Uh, no. That's why you're damp. It caught on to us both, so I put the fire out." She wasn't going to admit how close it had come, how she had needed the entire head start of being so many miles in the air to wear it down. From the look of surprise which crossed Clef's face, he was nearly as shocked as she was that that had worked. She pressed on before he could dwell on the subject. "You have to teach me to build shields sometime, but more importantly, it means someone _here_ sent an assassin to _Cephiro_."

"…Yes. Someone had a reason to want us gone before we even got here."

"Why?"

"I don't know! If it was to do with the Defence Force, the timing would make some sense. They're getting desperate now when we seem to be getting somewhere – though who knows where the last votes are going to come from. But why would they target me for that? How could they know I would be so tangled up in it?"

"They timed the attack to match Autozam's fluctuation. Brooke's already tried to kill you." Umi pointed out. Part of her was worried by how calmly she was discussing this, floating in mid air and holding Clef in her hands. (So bizarre…) Mostly she was ignoring that thought until Clef wouldn't be able to feel every tremble in her hands magnified through Selece's form.

He shook his head. The blue light which had surrounded him was beginning to fade, his features returning from alien to too-pale-but-within-human-bounds, but he didn't seem to notice, staring blanking ahead – straight at her, though he couldn't possibly see her through Selece's chest. "The coup on Autozam probably happened the day before we left Cephiro. There was a fluctuation then, at least, but much less dramatic than since. The attacks have been happening for far longer than that. And if Brooke had a mage hidden here, then why would he have sent Mikke after us?"

"That assumes he's the one behind her." Umi muttered. Clef ignored her, and she knew it made too much sense to really think otherwise, but she _wanted_ the culprit to be Brooke. She could do something about him if it came to it. Eagle's orders weren't as important as Clef. If it wasn't Brooke, she didn't know who else to keep a sharp(er) watch on.

"There has to be something else… If I could figure out _what_ then perhaps we could _stop them_. Especially as their attacks are growing more dangerous – that fireball was laced with something meant to counter my power. This really is getting annoying."

He said annoying and meant worrying, she knew. His lips pressed tightly together as he thought about it. Umi remembered the darkness which had crackled through the flames and nearly clenched her hands into fists. She caught herself just before she did, with a brief vision of Clef yelling as she clutched him in Selece's hands. "And it would get LaFarga and Lantis to stop fussing so much?" Umi offered, trying to shake the dark mood off a little.

"That would be nice."

The blue faded away, one small shimmer in the shape of Selece's symbol remaining a moment longer like the Cheshire cat's grin. She felt Selece's smugness in her own chest and flavouring the air about her. /_It is safe for you return below now. Autozam has ceased fluctuating for the moment. I may be able to cushion the surge without manifesting, should it happen again. I shall return you to the corridor you left. You will be alone, and should retrieve your sword, in case you need it again._/

Umi blinked. "…Didn't it go back into the glove?"

/_No. The summoning got in the way. I suggest you keep hold of the mage and your blade, next time._/ A rumble of laughter ran out through the Mashin, making Clef grab tighter hold as the hand he sat on shook. /_The little mage may wish to transport himself this time._/

"Yes." Umi muttered. She wondered for a moment about telling him to go back to the room, but she'd have to admit why she'd appeared somewhere else or look incompetent. "Uh, Clef? We can go back now. Selece says he can drop me back in the corridor, but you should probably take yourself. Just… be careful. My sword's down there somewhere."

"…You left it behind?"

She blushed, fiercely glad he couldn't see her. "I was keeping hold of you! It worked out fine, and no one will be able to steal it-"

Clef shook his head, glanced down, then shut his eyes and dragged a swirl of gold and silver light about himself. It tickled her hand, and when it faded, he was gone, and the next moment she was sliding down after him.

Her sword lay three steps away in the middle of the floor. It began to swirl back into water and towards her before she was fully in the corridor. Clef huffed, one corner of his mouth twitching up, but kept from saying anything. Instead he held out a hand. "We're running too late to eat in the Hall, but we should grab something from the kitchen before we go. Otherwise one of us will faint in the middle of the morning. While it would entertain a great deal of the room, it wouldn't be very helpful."

Umi took his hand, and after the cool slick rush of transportation with Selece's power, the sharp tingle of Clef's spell across her skin was even more startling.

oOo

A light rain misted down across the Venue as they walked to the Assembly Hall, Umi finishing the last few bites of a sharp tasting pink fruit. There wasn't a cloud in the sky above them. "Strange…" She muttered, holding one hand out and letting the water wash it clean of juice

Clef turned to look at her. "Really? When you were tipping water out into the air a few minutes ago?" He kept his voice quiet.

Umi stared up at the sky, stopping walking. "…Huh. Why isn't there any ash, then? From the fireball?" The drops soaking into her robes were pure, leaving no mark on the icy blue of her sleeves. Clef looked up as well, holding his own hands out.

"Good question. I don't know. Maybe there is a shield of some kind over the Venue, purifying it? Though I sensed nothing as I came down…" They were so near to the corridor into the Hall that they were being passed on both sides by other latecomers, but Clef didn't hurry her up. He lingered as well, and they stared up together, the coolness refreshing on their faces.

Eventually Clef shook his head, his fringe clumping together with the dampness, and looked across. "You learnt a new spell, didn't you. The other day."

"I've learnt several, Clef. Which one did you-" Umi began, then realised which spell he wouldn't mention in public, given she'd learnt it to use against that acid. "Oh, that one. But I didn't use it. …Do you think that would have worked against the fireball? It might have taken out that darkness."

Clef sighed, but one corner of his mouth twitched up even while he shook his head at her and she realised that fireballs were probably more verboten than acid as far as public conversation went. "I don't know, we'll have to test it out when we get back home. I didn't think you'd used it, exactly, but… magic isn't…" He paused, looking up at the sky again as he searched for a word.

They were nearly the only people outside, but Umi didn't point it out, too interested in what he was going to say. "Magic isn't _clean_. Every spell one learns can affect the way you use all magic, unless you learn very tight control and then use it each time you cast a spell. Perhaps, now you can use water to cleanse, a little of that purity has got into your other spells. Or maybe you were using it instinctively with that kind of a spell coming up. Either way-" He looked at her- "we've probably told half a dozen people we're involved with this weather and we're on the verge of being late. Come on."

He took her hand and pulled her into the corridor. She could feel the cool metal of his ring against her palm, then she was distracted by his mutter and the quick burst of warm air which dried them off as they walked through the tunnel, and missed him letting go. It was irritating, having to sit down and listen to the rambling so soon after something so shocking – but the familiarity of the room was soothing, and all the eyes on them a better shield than most magic Clef could cast.

oOo

In the middle of an entirely boring speech on the right to put tariffs on exports of agricultural tools (which wasn't actually under threat, so why the Representative for Isca was _quite_ so up in arms about it was a mystery to Clef,) cold struck the back of his neck again, and began to seep faster than ever before down his spine. Umi wriggled next to him and he grabbed her arm below the table with one hand while twisting the other through the gestures to call a shield about them, stop the gathering spell in the earth from reaching up and trying to swallow them down whole.

Easily done, when he wasn't being shaken inside and out by Autozam. The tracker pressed against the shield and tried to change itself enough to worm through, but Clef was _proud_ of his ability with shields. They wouldn't get through with anything smaller than Highly Noticeable.

Unusual, to send a tracker down into the ground, but there were wards in the walls and the roof of the hall; the floor had been forgotten. Tricky, too – and the spell gathering pointless energy below them was certainly Cephiran in nature. So close after the last attack, two different attempts to break through his shields…

Umi moved her arm below his hand, and he came back from worrying at the threads of the spell to flick his fingers and set up another. /_You can move now. We're safe. But yes, that was another tracker spell, fuelled by earth magic this time. You must have impressed them. It's the element we're both weakest to._/

The light of the shield was invisible in the air, but glinted briefly in her eyes and on her hair, like it must on him. The air within the shield was still, but he could feel the tracker now pressing against the outsides of it, trying to work through the shield, modifying to try and break through –

- which meant that the assassin was _still directing the spell_ –

He tried to grab hold of the spell with his shield, modifying a loop of it with a muttered order, but the other mage sensed the change and the tracker vanished before he caught it, replaced a moment later with a modified version of the same which leeched away at the shield he had up, so he had to keep pushing will into it to hold it steady. Whoever the assassin was, they were getting close to knowing the shape of that spell, of his magic in action. And they were doing it too quickly. They had to have been testing him with each of those spells back on Cephiro, to be this close to breaking through… He winced, a headache beginning to throb in his temples. (Spirits, he needed to get some rest… After this morning, he was achingly far from top form.)

If they mapped him out entirely, things were going to get a lot more dangerous, however practised he was with shields. And he'd lost his only chance so far to grab onto this person by reacting too damn _slow_. (Tired old man, he jeered at himself.)

Possibly a good thing, while they sat with all the worlds watching them, but so _frustrating_. The air inside the shield began to snap a little with excess static and Umi slid her arm until their fingers tangled below the table. Clef held on and breathed deeply for a moment until the snarl of temper settled down again. They were too close to achieving something here for him to lose it in the middle of a meeting all for the sake of this damnable _invisible ninja_.

/_They must be desperate, to attack like this. Though what a statement if they managed it…_/ Umi thought at him, the words coloured with subdued fear she was never going to admit. So brave, his Knight. /_You've really managed to piss someone off. It _has_ to be the Army thing._/

/_Yes. But I can't see why any of the Table would do anything so _obvious_. Though we know the first attempt at poison was Huginn-Muminn… perhaps admitting that openly was to put us off the scent? But the actual mage cannot be in the room. They would not need the tracker to target us if they had line of sight._/ There were several seats empty this morning about the walls, and the larger delegations had more aides than would fit at the table at a time. It did not cut down the suspect list very much.

/_But – Clef, if these attacks are related to the ones in Cephiro, why is today the first like that since we arrived? There have been no monsters, no trackers – nothing but Cerys and Mikke until now!_/

He paused a little too long, and felt her suspicion through the spell like a rasp at his heart. /_I haven't been hiding from you! Don't think – I wonder if they might have been trying in the night, while we slept. Some mornings the shield has felt different, ruffled. But I thought I was imagining things._/ He glanced at her long enough to chance an apologetic smile. /_Invisible Ninja. You see?_/

She took the admission of doubt in stride. /_But now you think they have been attempting this all along?_/

/_Someone had affected the shield back on Tuesday, the afternoon before that first poisoning attempt, too. If they have been trying different methods of breaking through, and are getting desperate – it's not the usual kind of shield, after all. Perhaps they decided they have to try something against more ordinary spells._/

/_…Perhaps they'll give up, now they've failed._/ Umi offered, though neither of them could believe it for a moment. The tariff rant had ended, and the next section was one Clef needed to listen to. He squeezed her fingers one last time then untangled their hands and set himself to paying attention to the new speaker.

He kept a watch on the tracker spell and the earth one below, all the same.

oOo

They got back to the privacy of their rooms after lunch, as the afternoon was free to prepare for the ball in the evening, and Clef was in need of a break more than several hours more pointless chatter. They needed another vote, from somewhere, but he had no idea who to approach – or how. All the mornings spent mapping out which lands shared causes, and what mattered to them… he had plenty new information to help the fledgling Guild of Merchants work out who to speak to, when they got back home, but none of it had given him a handle on someone new. Eorl was the only person he had left he thought he might sway, and she was assiduously avoiding speaking to him in public now.

He'd have gone back to the room and had lunch there, if they hadn't already missed breakfast with people staring. But at least the faces in the café were mostly friendly, and Spark (the head of the kitchen had noticed their conversations too) kept the tea flowing through the meal. But now he got through the door, and wanted nothing else but his bed.

He hesitated, watching Umi walk to the sofa and shift a pile of his paper collection to the floor so she could actually sit down. It was embarrassing to admit to her that he needed a nap, however he phrased it, but after last night…

No. After the week they'd now been here, they were in this together, and she deserved his attempts to be open. He could offer no less if he wanted her to be honest in return.

He hesitated too long, and she got in first. "Now you've room to think about it, I don't suppose you've any more idea what's happening on Autozam?"

Clef shook his head and leant on the edge of the sofa. He'd spent half the meeting wondering about it. "None, save I don't see how it can be natural. If the faction that sent Brooke here has been acting against the scientists in charge, then perhaps one of them is free and retaliating? That would be my best guess… whatever it is, Autozam is certainly volatile. All we can do is trust in Eagle to know what he's doing for the moment. Though once the conference is over, a visit might be…"

"It's not like we've not enough to do anyway." Umi said, not really to him. "Though we got rid of one problem this morning."

"Mm. Good thing Kuregu doesn't know the rules of Cephiro too well though." He said, then could have kicked himself.

It took Umi a moment to realise he'd let something slip. "...Why? _Aren't_ you covered from whatever charges he could bring against you?" She demanded, turning to stare at him, and blatantly curious over what had happened. He wasn't volunteering _that_ up.

"Oh, no, I am. It's charging someone with poisoning _you_ that might be a problem. But that's in the next set of Bills to be ratified, along with the Academy. It took a while for me to drag the right laws out of the old books, or it would have been done sooner... and you have no clue what I'm talking about." Umi shook her head, reduced to staring at him. "I did ask that no one tell any of you in case you worried, but I didn't expect it to actually work." He mused.

The expression he got at that was _not impressed_. Umi looked ready to shake an explanation out of him if she had to. But he waved a hand in apology and got on with it before she actually reached over, voice slipping into a steady rhythm as he leant harder on the sofa and forgot about sleeping for the moment.

"The Magic Knights have always been outside the law of Cephiro because of the task they carry - the greatest sin a Cephiran could commit, but the greatest blessing the Knights can give. They're given licence to do whatever is necessary to complete their task. And because of that task, no Pillar would want to see a citizen charged with trying to stop a knight - to kill or kidnap them - because they would be doing so for the Pillar's sake, and protecting the Pillar is protecting Cephiro... the Knights and their task _could not exist_ within the laws of the land, so you stand outside of them. With very little constraint and very little protection."

Umi was pale, and he could see her thinking back over the time they'd spent in Cephiro, vulnerable in a way they had known nothing of. He reached over and brushed a long section of hair back over her shoulder, and rested his hand there. "Do you really think any of us wouldn't have done whatever we had to to keep you safe?" He said it with a smile, and won one back.

"No, thank you. But it's a bit… startling."

Clef nodded. His fingertips were just brushing the skin of her neck now. "Hence why I didn't want to mention it until it was fixed. I did well on that front."

Umi laughed, leaning into his touch. "Ban everyone else from talking then doing it yourself. Though… I suppose things have changed, this week." She looked back at him. "You're telling me more."

"You need to know some of it. You seem interested in the rest. And I might have a tendency to ramble on when I'm tired."

"I'm still surprised that no one mentioned it at _all_, though. In all the time we've been visiting… You can't have personally spoken to all the people we've met!"

Clef pulled his hand away. "It was always assumed you would need very little protection, because you _were_ Magic Knights. There haven't been many Knights who would visit again, certainly none who ever settled with us. Because they didn't come back, the fact they were outside the law was never really brought up. People forgot it, like they forgot the old role of the Council. I came across the rule when we were reinstating _them_. The change I've proposed brings you under it like anyone else in Cephiro. By the time we get home it should be in place - no one will oppose it, not with the three of you walking about able to do anything you want. It protects them as much as you. And with Fuu..."

"If she marries Ferio - or whatever your equivalent was, I've forgotten it again - Ferio will be in charge of the Castle, which is the seat of power, and that would give her access to the council?" He nodded. "What about Hikaru? She was the _Pillar_, at least for a moment, shouldn't that be more worrying?"

"Well, the Pillar was always under the law, so not really. She's the least worrying of the three of you, bizarrely enough. In fact, given that the pillar devolved makes all three of you as much citizens as the rest of us, it's possible to say that under the current system you don't count as Magic Knights anymore and are a new sort of thing altogether. But that would be splitting hairs. Also, we've been introducing you as a Knight everywhere around here. The Judges would have a hell of a time untangling it all if anyone noticed."

"Well, I hope they don't, then." She shook her head.

Clef pushed himself upright, and rubbed at his head. The lingering headache he'd had since that fluctuation (since he _fainted_, spirits, why was he always getting into trouble in front of _Umi_? And she'd dragged him up in a summoning – stubborn girl. That really shouldn't have worked…). "We have a few hours. I'm going to get some rest until then. Do you want me to call up Cephiro so you can catch up with the others while I'm out?"

Umi brightened, then seemed to think better of it, posture slumping and her voice turning wry. "Best not, actually. Fuu will ask me how much revision I've done, and the answer will only get me in trouble. I'll get on with some work."

"…I'm sorry. You've been spending so much time trying to help me-"

"No, it's not your fault, Clef! I wanted to help. And I've had time I could have used… I just keep practising your letters instead of getting on. It's so much more interesting." She grinned, and waved him away. "Go get some sleep. I'll be fine. I could do with the quiet myself."

"The menu's on the desk if you're hungry, and just in case you change your mind – to use the Comm, put your hand on that biggest button and think on, then just think of Cephiro. It should ring through."

"Got it. When should I wake you up?"

He stopped halfway across the floor to pull a face at her. "When the alarm goes off and I fail to wake up. We have two and a half hours, I'll set it for two." He fumbled off boots and mantle, curled into bed, and managed a few seconds worry that he was too anxious about getting some sleep to actually manage it, before he did.

oOo

That evening they walked into the large ballroom maybe quarter of an hour after people started turning up: it was a long enough wait that there were plenty of heads waiting to turn and watch them come in. Umi tried not to giggle too hard as they swept down the short flight of stairs, quite blatantly put in for people to make an impressive entrance. They made a nice image sweeping down, even if she had to think it herself.

Caldina had planned carefully their outfits to match: they had each been sent off with three choices. Clef left Umi choose hers and dressed to match when he woke up, cheating and using magic to cut down the time it took. (The fact Umi was entertained by the idea of Clef packing whatever he was told to obediently was neither here nor there. But also making her giggle.) She'd managed to inspect them briefly in the mirror in their room, but only from the waist up, and she'd been trying to not stare at Clef. But in the Ballroom there were full length mirrors set everywhere, massive gilt-framed things propped against the columns which littered the room, and everywhere she looked she could watch them.

Her dress was long, a heavy dove grey silk which flirted with her ankles under a kind of thin tabard connected to a set of thin, sinuous silver straps at each shoulder by a rich purple Cephiran stone. Each metal strap flexed comfortably with her movement, engraved with a rippling pattern which repeated across the dark blue of the knee-length flare of the tabard, embroidered there in silver and purple again. The whole was caught in at the waist with a wide silver belt. She felt like the missing link between European medieval and art nouveau. Or the Romans. But she liked the flow of it, and the softness of the material next to her skin. Small silver hoops hung at her ears, and her wrists were covered by a cross between a guard and a bangle – more silver, and more scattered purple stones.

One had come with the outfit. The other was her gauntlet, transformed by Clef with a thought and a word, his fingers resting cool against her wrist as he had looked down and brushed the glove gently into its current form. Her arm rested casually on his as they descended.

Clef's shoulders were mantled in the same grey, though a different cloth, caught at the throat by a stone to match hers. There was no long robe now - nothing to get in the way. His trousers and shirt were cut straight, the former grey again, and the latter a softer version of the purple, but the tabard he wore was the same as hers, merely wider. (And without the straps. Probably. She assumed it was attached to his shirt somehow, though as he'd cheated to put it on, she wasn't actually certain.)

He'd managed to find hoops to wear at his ears which matched her jewellery, and the ring on his finger had become silver and blue, instead of the gilt-edged, purple-stoned thing he'd taken to wearing recently.

Not that she'd been looking.

They stepped down, the steady lightness of a sprung dance floor under her heels - strappy heels, silver dance shoes just like ballroom ones at home, really, and though the heel was only just two inches to ensure she could run in them, the sole of the shoe was like suede, for the right amount of grip and give on the wooden floor: going outside would probably ruin them.

Oh yes, Umi was pleased with the image reflected back at her, safe in the knowledge it was all designed to let her fight _and_ show them both off. She would _have_ to do something to thank Caldina when she got back home...

The ballroom was massive, the actual dancefloor at the end of the room marked out by the lack of widely spaced pillars, tables with gilt-legged, velvet-cushioned chairs, and tall nearly-tree plants in rich red-glazed pots. Twisted gold-and-crimson garlands wrapped about the pillars from the cream moulded ceiling (more gilt picking out the design there) and hung high overhead between the massive chandeliers, crystal and gold gleaming with dozens of tiny white lights. Along the side wall, there was also a set of doors flung open, with a sign above. "What's up there?" she asked, seeing the stairs beyond.

"That goes to the roof gardens. There's a cafe, I believe, and also a section for walking in when one needs to escape for a moment or two."

There was music playing - when they got close enough, they could see the band in one corner of the dancefloor, on a dias raised about two inches just to separate it from the room. For the most part, the instruments were similar enough to those in an orchestra from earth, but there were a number of bamboo flutes instead of wooden or metal ones, there were a few brass instruments which looked like nothing so much as mad science experiments, and there was one girl sat on a cushion on a bench, with something Umi would swear was a kayageum across her knees. The result was a rich but slightly jarring melody, simply because it wasn't a mixture of sounds she was used to. But she had heard it before - Caldina had made sure of that - and she found she could remember the lessons well enough, watching the people on the floor, to work out which of the dances they were doing.

"Come on." Clef walked straight to the dance floor, taking her with him. "Let's prove we know what we're doing and get it over with."

"You just don't want to have to talk to anyone else." Umi murmured.

"...That might be a bonus." Clef admitted, with a grin. "Do you really want to spend the evening making small talk?" The current piece of music began to wind up, and they paused at the edge of the floor while the couples swirled to a halt and bowed or curtseyed to each other, and many of them filtered back out through the tables towards their companions, or the bar. "Also, you're less likely to stand on my feet than most of these others."

"As long as you can keep off mine, we should do okay then." Umi shot back. The musicians were taking a sip of their drinks and shifting into place for the next song. Clef held out his hand, palm up, and she accepted it. He led her onto the floor, and drew them to a place near one of the corners and swung her about into place facing him - she went with a grin and an extra twirl across the floor. The ceiling above them was high and bright, the room warm and full of chatter- but lighter, brighter chatter than they had been surrounded by for the past week. Quite a few of the Representatives seemed prepared to use it as another excuse to stand about talking at each other about business, but mostly people were relaxing and looked ready for fun.

The music started, and Clef held his hand out, the gesture a request built into the dance. Umi stepped forward and accepted it, and the hold they took was pretty much the same as a ballroom dance back home. She'd taken ballet for more years than she really cared to remember, and they had learnt some as part of their warm up sessions. It stood her in good stead now. If she had been unfamiliar with dancing like this, she would have been nervous at standing pressed so close to Clef's chest as the music played and they began to twist into motion.

She was nervous for the first steps, waiting for one of them to read a cue wrongly and stumble, tug in opposite directions. But it never came. They swung smoothly about the room one way, then checked and twisted the other, and her steps grew surer as she realised Clef didn't just _know what to do_.

"You dance better than Ferio!" Umi said, aloud, and then tried to look at Clef as he burst into laughter; he'd dropped his head too far forward and all she could see was his hair. His breath was warm on her bare shoulder, and she fought not to shiver, the rest of her feeling cold suddenly - apart from the long line where they touched, chest to hip to thigh. "What?"

"You sound so _shocked_. I've had more time to practise than the Prince has, you know!" When he stood upright again he didn't bother looking where they were going, but smiled at Umi, more carefree than she'd seen him in a _long_ time. Cheeks flushed, eyes bright, they could have been all alone for the attention he was paying the rest of the room, and Umi couldn't look away from him. It was a small miracle that they didn't run into anyone as they moved on.

"Well, yes," Umi managed to say, and knew she was beginning to blush, but couldn't stop it. "I'd have thought you were too busy to learn to dance, though."

"I wasn't _always_ the Master Mage!" Clef actually tried to _pout_ at her - it didn't work, because his grin kept breaking through, but it was enough to lose Umi's fight with her blush. "You know that! I told you already about bouncing about the worlds for years."

"Yes, but you made it sound like you were wandering about looking at the ways all the different worlds worked - like a study project!"

Though. Thinking about it, maybe that was just what Umi had decided to believe, because she wasn't sure where the impression had come from, but with Clef laughing in her arms it was suddenly easier to imagine him floating from place to place to find something entertaining, not just educational.

Still trying to pout, Clef shook his head mournfully. "Right. This is war, you realise?" They swung to a halt before Umi even noticed the song was ending, and she stared at Clef as the next track began. The apprehension must have shown in her face, as he dropped the clowning and smiled naturally again. "I won't let you get tangled up, but after that, we definitely have to test out all Caldina taught you. I've a reputation to rebuild, it seems."

Clef let of her and took a pace back so he had room to hold his hand out, again, between them. Umi hesitated. "…How long ago did you last have a reputation for dancing?" She had to ask, if only to see him try to pout again.

"Only a century or two - come on, lady knight! Or aren't you up for the challenge?" Not waiting any longer, he took her hand, and pulled her along to the corner, dodging already-moving couples as they went, Umi laughing delightedly behind him. He pulled her across in front of him, letting go, and she curtseyed with a fancy flick of her skirt, and stepped in to take hold again as he bowed - lower than he had to anyone else here, then they were pressed together and spinning away down the floor, with long interlocking steps which twisted their feet together, threatening to trip them over each other with each step - but never managing to.

This dance - which Caldina had brought out with a laugh after three days of afternoon lessons and made them _all _try, bringing in Ferio and a protesting LaFarga so that Hikaru and Fuu both had someone to dance with as she spun Umi about the dining hall herself. They turned quick enough that Umi hadn't been able to keep track of her feet, and tripped over every change step when the dance swung the other way. Hikaru and LaFarga had to take a more sedate path about the place due to the rather imposing height difference, which made the pivoting steps more awkward, and Ferio was leading Fuu gently so they could talk as they went, but Caldina wasn't going to be so relaxed with Umi's training.

Which meant that now she could turn away from Clef to hide her grin, lean her shoulders back another few inches, and lengthen her stride to make each twist a little wilder, and when they shifted into a change step together it just_ worked. _

They were both breathing hard when the music ended, and both grinning just as widely. Umi's heart thumped in her chest with the joy of moving so well, with someone else. There was a magic in dancing which had nothing to do with power and everything to do with enjoying oneself, and she knew, looking at Clef's grin, that he was grinning at _himself_ as much as her. "It's been a while since you've just danced, right?" She asked.

"Mm. It's not that I'd forgotten I liked dancing, but I just... what it _feels_ like, you know? Going a little mad for once, but without it ever being _dangerous_..."

"I don't know, we were spinning so much we could have gone over with quite a bang at the end there..."

"No, we wouldn't." he told her, immediately, then blinked. When his grin returned it was different, almost tentative. _Shy_. "_We_ wouldn't have."

Umi blushed the darkest yet and looked away, trying not to puff up in pride. "We do make quite a good team..." She murmured, and listened avidly for the next piece of music to start. But when it did, she was disappointed: she didn't recognise it, didn't know anything to dance to this beat. Resigning herself to a break, she drew away from him slowly. Clef, still holding her hand, turned to take them back into the centre of the floor. "I don't know this one," Umi protested, tried to draw back.

"Stay anyway?" Clef cajoled her. "Trust me? I'm sure I can steer us through this." With that shy smile still lurking in his eyes, how could she say no? The couples beginning to move were all in hold, just like the other dances, not twisting too much... actually, this looked rather like a foxtrot, maybe a touch slower, but the motion was gliding about smoothly-

Clef twisted her about, and Umi found they were moving along before she had time to protest, with him whispering instructions each time there was something a little more complex than just stepping back when he stepped forwards, or forward when he went back. They made it about the floor with only a few dodgy moments each time, and even though Clef stuck to what must be the basics compared to the people sweeping past them it felt like a victory when she lasted out the music.

A victory she'd had to fight for, though, and so when she didn't recognise the next dance - and the people about them began to spin about fast - she shook her head decisively and led them from the floor. "You can teach me that one back in Cephiro." She insisted.

"We don't do much dancing in Cephiro." Clef pointed out. "Not in the castle, anyway. It was never very appropriate, what with the Pillar..."

"Things are _different_ now! Besides, if you want more Cephirans going about and visiting other places, they're going to have to be able to dance if they want to fit in, right? That's why they have this Ball, it's a thing shared among the lands. So you're going to start."

"We are, are we?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Umi hit him on the shoulder, forgetting entirely to be ladylike.

"We are! I'm sure Ferio and Caldina will approve, and as they run the castle between them most of the time..."

"Your devious mind knows no bounds." He said, loftily, and it was _fascinating_ the way Umi could see the grin still in his eyes. That, at least, was her excuse for staring hard enough she flinched when Tatra tapped on her shoulder. Clef, damn him, burst out laughing.

"Princess Tatra, good evening! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there - shut _up_, Clef!"

"Good evening, Lady Knight. You both seem to be enjoying yourselves." Tatra smiled, politely ignoring the hitch in Clef's voice as he managed a greeting. "You both dance very well."

"Chizeta must take some of the credit for that on my part - Caldina was the one to teach me a few of the dances, in the week or so before we came. There wasn't time to learn everything, though." Umi said, with a look full of regret back at the dancefloor. "Like this one."

"Ah. These always come in pairs, as well." Tatra said. "Though it makes my request less of an imposition than I'd feared - would you dance the next with me, my friend?" And she smiled at Clef.

He looked rather startled. "I, Princess - I mean, Honourable-"

"Your knight will be perfectly safe with my guard, and now that you've proven you can do more than pace out the steps like most of the people I get to dance with, you have to make up for the truly _horrendous_ job you did at it last time we were here." Tatra told him, still smiling amiably, and before Clef or Umi really had a chance to react to that he was being swept out onto the floor, and Umi was left to watch across the room, surrounded by the loose circle of Tatra's guard - apart from the two who took to the floor with each other to shadow their Princess and Clef through the dance. For all Umi really wanted to be out there herself, she had to admit it was fun watching Clef as he fidgeted through the first steps of the dance, then settled into it and began to move properly.

"He looks well today. You make an attractive couple, on the dancefloor." Said a woman's voice, behind her. Umi flinched, twisted, and came eye-to-eye with Lady Eorl stepping between two of the Chizetans; the Representative's gaze seemed fixed on the dancers, tracking Clef and Tatra through the mob. Umi hesitated, then just waited for her to say something else, bereft of a response.

"Of course, he always has danced better with friends than enemies. I suppose most of us here look like the second now, to him."

"I'm sure Cle- Representative Clef doesn't think of you as such, Lady Eorl."

Eorl turned to look at her closely. Umi stiffened and met that look evenly as she could. "...Either you believe that, or you are a very talented actress. Either way, thank you." Eorl glanced back at the dancers, her glittering jewelry catching the light and spilling rainbows across Umi's vision. "Tell him, please, that at midnight I will be in the gardens, and request his presence there. I will wait by the Astoria flowers. I know he used to like those."

Umi silently watched her walk away, torn between unease at another summoning so like Reigan's (not that it had gone badly then. But she could do without that kind of adrenaline rush quite so often, _thank_ you...) and a growing sense that whatever history lay between them, Eorl regretted what she and Clef had become.

Which begged the question: what had they _been?_ Umi didn't like even thinking about that. It wasn't like she was jealous. Even if she had liked - there was no point in being jealous if something had happened between him and someone else in the past, and she could honestly say she wasn't. Wouldn't have been, she meant. Wouldn't be even if she _did_ like-

Umi rubbed a hand across her forehead in frustration. She didn't like it, because she didn't know what Eorl wanted from Clef now, nor what she would do to get it, and she didn't trust her. That was her job here, wasn't it? To worry over things like that?

The musicians took another break, and Tatra brought Clef back and monopolised the wait staff until not only the three of them, but every member of her guard had a drink in their hand. Umi sipped at hers, then tapped Clef's elbow and leant close, whispering Eorl's message.

"...I see." He said, and drank a little more while she watched him, impatient for some response. The frown slipped back onto his face, and Umi suddenly wished she'd not told him anything. Before she could try to chase it away again he shook his head a little, sighed, and relaxed: his shoulders lowered, the frown vanished. "Nothing to do but go see what she wants, we need her vote if we can get it, but we've time enough before then. Does anyone know what will be in the next set of dances? I know they do a list, I never thought to look for one." He addressed the end comment to everyone in earshot.

Smiling - that broad smile which made Tatra close her eyes, the dangerous one - the Princess handed a slip of paper across, and Clef looked over it briefly. Umi looked, too, but the spider-track scrawl refused to mean anything much. Clef seemed pleased, though. "That should do fine. I think you will know most of these, Umi."

"Then may I have the next dance with you, Lady Knight?" Tatra asked, leaving Clef blinking again. Umi laughed, and agreed, and left Clef with the guards to dash across the floor with the Princess.

oOo

The stairs from the ballroom to the roof were decorated with the same looped cloth and ribbons about the railings as the columns in the ballroom, and the lights dimmed as you went up. There were a few groups of people going up too, and on the final landing most of them went to the right and the door at the end there, through which Umi could see more chairs and tables set about like a garden cafe with wait staff circulating between them, lanterns hung between the small trees and ribbon-wrapped poles. Clef took her to the left hand door, out of which there was quiet, and starlight, and the smell of evening flowers. She stopped by the door a second, with a thought for her dancing shoes, and with a small glow of light her uniform boots were poking out from under her dress instead.

The air was growing damp and smooth with dew as they stepped out onto the grassy paths of the roof garden. The place was a maze, marked out with tall trellises woven from thin branches, the bark still on them, rustic and elegant at once. There were plants about the bottom of the trellises, but also large-leaved vines twined all through them, making strange silhouettes by their sides.

It was hardly the small place she'd imagined after Clef's words earlier. It must have taken up more than half the roof space.

Their boots made no noise on the grass; the rich material Caldina had commissioned for their clothes also fell silently, and Umi wondered if that was intentional as she walked on. The cafe they'd seen was entirely cut off from view by a high wall, and there was something stopping either light or sound from escaping and infiltrating their side. As they went along there were small openings here and there in the maze, with little bowers and formal gardens, some lit only by the stars, and some with the subtle light of soft red and gold lanterns among the plants. Umi was entirely lost by the time they'd taken three corners, in the dark; but she trusted Clef to know where he was going.

They came out of the walkway through a deep arch and into a rose garden, the scent of them thick on the air, heady. There was already someone stood on the far side of the place: Umi recognised the Lady Eorl by the glimmer of gold netting outlining her hair. Clef pressed a hand to Umi's arm, stopping her in the archway, then left her there. It was the only way in that Umi could see, unless you could fly. She stayed in the shadow and watched.

Eorl turned when Clef was halfway across the lawn, and the starlight shone on her in an annoyingly attractive manner. _Her_ clothes moved with a rustle and gentle clinking from the masses of delicate jewellery. The stones glinted with each breath she took. Clef stopped maybe three paces from her, carefully not obstructing Umi's view, and bowed his head for a moment.

Eorl kept no such polite distance and stepped far closer to Clef than she had done previously. She was of a height with him - that inch or so taller than Umi, and she had the figure to pull off the draped layers she wore. They made a stupidly beautiful pair.

Umi scowled.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Clef didn't step back, but he sounded mild, not welcoming. "I take it you still are not willing to do so in public?"

"You know I cannot tie my land to you so easily. We are none of us secure on the table - none save the top seven, perhaps. It has no bearing on us personally... between us as people, instead of Representatives - I thought, we spoke together so easily, I thought you understood that. That we might..."

"We spoke as easily as friendly acquaintances might, surrounded by less friendly people. And as soon as those conversations might have been seen as a statement, you backed away. Again. Since I've been here, you have not stepped out of your way, even to warn me _personally_ to be on my guard."

She raised a hand towards Clef's face at that, stepping forwards once more. "No, I did not mean..." Clef didn't move - but Umi did, taking a half step forwards before she could think, to the very edge of the archway. There she caught hold of herself, but Eorl had already seen. Her hand dropped. Umi wasn't unhappy with that.

"Ah, yes. I'd forgotten, for a moment." Eorl said, softly, looking at Umi over Clef's shoulder before turning back to him. "It was clever, to use the truth as a shield like that."

She was talking about the rumours over them, and Clef made no move to challenge it.

"Even if I'd come alone, I'd be giving the same answers to what you want of me." Clef told her, and his tone was gentle, but his voice came out so distant it was almost brutal. "You know that."

Eorl sighed, and looked out over the garden. "I did _want_ to speak with you then, Clef, but - do you have any idea how long it had been since we'd seen each other and you'd disappeared back into your hidden world?"

"Oh, at least four centuries. That doesn't change the fact you left me for the dogs to play with when you could, at the very least, have told me to watch my drinks more closely."

The words sounded like Clef should have been angry, but there was nothing in his voice but that distancing gentleness, and Umi was very, very glad he'd never turned that unconcerned tone on her. Eorl's figure glittered again as she sighed.

"You know why I did it. I apologised back then. I'll not say sorry again."

"I wouldn't ask you to. Just try to remember, and perhaps we can even be friends again, one day."

"I'd like that." And Eorl was being honest, even from here Umi could hear it. "Not just because you're beginning to grasp your power here. I thought of you, from time to time, after you left. Wondering what other bored aristocrats you were entertaining for a bed and a meal. If your magic was even stronger back on your own world - what illusions you could throw about there."

"But I don't play with illusions now. My job deals with real things." Clef tugged her back to the point. "You have to know what they might do if this Army comes to be. I can't think you're fool enough to endorse it."

"No, but I'm not fool enough to say no until it's certain I'd not be weakening my home, either." Finally Eorl stepped back, the curl through her back and shoulders straightening until she was no longer inclined towards Clef, and Umi breathed a little easier. "We aren't so high on the table as to be secure, not now, with a half dozen little lands searching for any weakness to break their way onto the table. Our neighbours - Pedredan, mostly - have been accusing us of putting the border lands before those of the alliance. They say that our place should be refigured, taking out of the reckoning all activity and influence which lies outside the borders, and if that happened? You and Autozam and the others would be waving as we fell past you and out of sight. Our economy is _built_ on the extra resources of inner status."

"You have to vote one way or the other, in the end. There won't be an abstain button, not calling for a referendum."

Information offered up freely, repaid in kind. "Thank you. …You need one more land, besides my own, by my reckoning? If Reigan has indeed chosen yours." Clef nodded. "Get that one, and you will have my support openly and explicitly."

"Thank you, my Lady." Clef bowed.

Eorl sighed at him. "Yes, well. I'll leave you and your _true_ Lady to enjoy the clean air away from the throng downstairs. I do so hate years when perfume is in fashion." She came across the lawn, and paused to look Umi in the eye. "Good luck with him." It was a murmur, too low for Clef to hear across the lawn. "There's nothing to stop _you_ keeping him safe."

And then she was gone, two figures meeting her and falling in behind as she walked swiftly along the path, and Clef arrived at Umi's elbow before she could puzzle out the emotion in those last words.

"Shall we go?" He asked. "We should probably walk slowly. Eorl won't want us appearing on the stairs right behind her."

"It would defeat the point of a secret meeting." Umi agreed, and fell in beside him, wandering back along the paths. "...So. Bad break-up?"

"Bad what?" He blinked at her, then it clicked. "Oh, with Eorl - no, not really. There wasn't much to break up in the first place. It was later... well. She didn't help when I first got here, nor when Kuregu tried to get hold of me, but it's never really seemed to bother her before this year." He shrugged. "I wouldn't have expected it of her, but I think she's jealous. She won't push it, though."

"You really trust her." Umi's surprise was a little too plain in her voice, and she winced, but he just looked up at the sky, and sighed.

"She was in a tough position. If it came down to helping Eagle or keeping Cephiro's place on the table, for example - which it might well come to, one day soon - well. I know what I'd end up doing, but I know how much it would cost me, too."

A memory rang through Umi's head, Presea reporting to them in a hushed voice what he had decided. _Even if it means they choose not to take the post, I will tell the candidate the full story of the Pillar._

"You'd help Eagle."

"Yes. No more wilfully sacrificing individuals for the good of the many."

She wasn't sure even she was meant to hear that last bit, but she had to reach out - she found Clef's hand with her own and held on tight. He jumped at the touch, but squeezed back, and she had to swallow hard before she trusted her voice to come out light and teasing.

"You do realise that includes you, right?"

He knocked their hands against her leg. "That includes _us_, yes."

She opened her mouth to reply, and then froze, as the roof door opened not too far away, and a group of people came through, talking. She listened hard: there had to be five of them, at least.

"Damn," Clef hissed, pulling back, "They'll have seen Eorl on the stairs, coming from this side of the garden, too." He tugged her from the path, but there was nothing solid for them to hide behind. "Can't transport us. They'd just see the light anyway. I'm hardly the _only_ mage here, but I'm the most obvious - apart from you, that is."

"What do we do?" She looked about – the gardens were smaller when you wanted to hide. But this group of people was walking straight for them.

"Disguise our purpose here - sorry, Umi."

He leant forwards, pulled her to face him, and she had enough time to think _what, really?_ To whisper his name.

Then he kissed her.

oOo

end chapter twelve

oOo


	13. Chapter 13

So, this is a quicker turn-around than I'm promising for the next chapter, though I'll do my best! But I'm having a lot of fun working on this again, and the reviews coming in from the last chapter kept making me grin, and do a little more. As did the increasing visitor count!

Plus, dominoes are beginning to wobble. At least a few of them…

Huge thanks go to the friend who has been beta-ing the past few chapters, and who I badgered into reading the manga and watching the ova and about half the anime, the last all in the same day. XD (I am a bad influence…) This wouldn't be half as neat without her (and would have a random section in present tense near the end…)

I hope you enjoy it!

~down

oOo

Chapter Thirteen: Hide and Seek

oOo

"Damn, they'll have seen Eorl on the stairs - probably coming from this side, too." Clef muttered as Umi went silent and wary beside him, listening carefully.

The roof garden was full of places to be semi-concealed, veiled by vine-laced trellises or dancing foliage, but there was nowhere to be properly _hidden_ - your identity could be disguised if you tried hard enough, but not your presence. Clef gripped Umi's arm tighter for a moment, pulled her further behind the screening wisterias.

"Can't transport us." He whispered softly, as the chattering grew louder. "They'd just see the light anyway. I'm hardly the _only_ mage here, but I'm the most obvious - apart from you, that is."

Her eyes gleamed in the starlight as she looked up to him. "What do we do?"

An innocent question. Clef had no innocent answer for her. "Disguise our purpose here - sorry, Umi." And with that he took a half step forward into her space. He lay one hand lightly on her cheek, felt her shift as she drew in a startled breath - "_Clef_," - and then he was tilting his head down to hers.

His lips barely brushed her mouth in that first moment. Softly, steadily, he slid his free arm around her waist and Umi stepped forwards without more coaxing, leaning into him. He kept the touch tremblingly light, just a fleeting thing. A minor thing.

Umi tangled one hand in his hair, and tugged him closer.

Distantly he heard the door clang. He let his hand slide from Umi's cheek to the nape of her neck, coaxing a neater angle from her, and when she opened her mouth to breath a surprised 'oh' against his lips, he deepened it without actual thought.

Umi's mouth was hot, her lips soft. He took a shuddering breath, startled at his response. This was a foolish thing to have done, he realised, and still more with each second.

He tried to listen out for the people who had invaded their privacy, but his attention was drawn again and again to the insistent tug of Umi's fingers, the way she leant against him. Then she flicked her tongue across his lips, shyness mixed with mischievous challenge, and he was utterly, utterly distracted. There was a slight hesitation to each movement she made, a deliberation instead of instinct. He felt guilty when he realised she'd never kissed before - not like this, with _intent_. Because there was a _lot_ of intent in this touch. Too much. He didn't want to let go.

Clef flung more power into the hasty shield he'd put about them, and let the visitors do as they wished, trusting to it, and the relative sanctity of the ball - and in Umi's ability to react quickly. That last, most of all.

The chatter grew closer, startled into a pause, then walked on with a thread of not-entirely-friendly amusement running under it. Once more, he caught Umi's lips with his own, before he could stop himself, pressing closer when he should be stepping _back_. If he stepped back, he'd have to face what he'd done. They had been building a friendship, a partnership, the last few days, and _now_ he had to realise just how much he wanted to keep it? When he'd potentially fractured it? He'd certainly fractured part of his determined view of himself- and he was _still kissing Umi_. _Spirits wept_…

Gripping his will tightly, he pulled away, eyes still closed, and tried not to breath so hard. He didn't look up.

He didn't want to see her face.

Umi broke the pause, still holding on to his shoulders, a little breathless. "...I should probably hit you for that."

"...Yes. It worked, though?"

"Hmpf." She pulled away, finally, and he let his eyes open again. She left her hand on his wrist - when he gave in and looked up, she grinned at him. "..._Pervert_."

Which was enough to break the tension. He laughed; "_still_ not true!"

"Yeah, yeah. Protest all you want - I _know_ it." They were keeping their voices low, still, aware of the people walking about somewhere in the shadows. "I can't believe you actually – have you been reading bad spy novels?" Umi demanded, laughter still in her voice, not drawing away from him. Clef blinked at her, bemused by the reference, and she shook her head. "I'll have to bring some back from Earth next time. Bond or something. The films would be easier, but I don't know how a DVD player would work here."

"…If these books are in your tongue, you realise it will be probably two dozen years before I can read them?" Clef pointed out, wryly. He was relieved that things had slipped back to normal so easily, though, at the same time, there was something…

Not exactly regret. But he couldn't brush off the touch as easily as Umi had done, and it should not have been the only thing he could think of to do – which unsettled him.

"Well, I'll have to read them to you, then." Umi continued, brightly. "It'll give me an excuse to check you aren't working too hard."

Clef reached out and knocked on her shoulder. "Given our excuse for your presence, it was the only logical thing to do. Other than starting a quarrel. I thought we had a better chance surviving this way."

"Hmm. True." She quietened, and crossed her bare arms so she could rub them briskly. Clef frowned, and figuring he might as well now they'd been seen, summoned one of the jackets he'd seen in her wardrobe to wrap about her shoulders. Umi slid into it gratefully, a flashed smile visible in the dark for a moment before the spell-light faded.

"Come on," she said a moment later, holding an arm out for him to take. "I suppose we'd better walk about a bit, to look right."

"And perhaps to see who might have followed us up here?"

Another smile, this one fierce. "My thoughts exactly."

There was a breeze rustling through the vine laced screens, but the jacket seemed enough to keep Umi happy, and Clef's outfit was far more substantial than her dress. They strolled along one of the gravelled pathways, and Clef was aware of every moment their walk swayed them closer, every time they nearly touched. He could think of nothing to say as the moments dragged out.

There were large pale flowers blooming in clusters here and there, luminous in the dark, the scent of them dancing on the wind with the shivering noise of the leaves. Eventually they came to the very edge of the roof and stood for a moment looking across the blank horizon. Then Umi glanced about closer to them and started, tapped Clef's arm with her free hand.

"What's _that_?" She whispered, pointing at the cage-like shadow sat on the wall just by the corner, hanging out into thin air, the hint of metal in the light reflecting back from it here and there: a strange mechanical contrast to the natural wood trellises and the curves of the vines. It took Clef a moment to identify the silhouette.

"A lift, for reaching the windows. To wash them and all that. All the buildings have them - I'm sure you've seen them in use, just not this close." They could have hidden in one of them, he realised, ruefully – though they were locked. Only the staff who were certified cleaners were allowed keys and training to use them. Breaking in would have given away their location anyway.

"Ah, right." Umi watched it a moment longer, then shook her head and tugged him onwards.

The visitors reappeared ahead of them, making a circuit of the garden. It was a group of perhaps a dozen people: there were a couple of aides Clef faintly recognized, though he couldn't have said where from, and two of the Representatives from the next ring of seats out from the table - Ost, from Pedredan, and another he knew had spoken to them in support earlier, who now ducked behind another with a blush at seeing Clef. They were all centred about Brooke's usual shadow who had a datapad of some kind in his hands, one of the wires from his headband plugged in to power it, casting a sickly blue glow back over the operator. Clef felt it, distantly, like the ghost of an itch, of recognition. Autozam echoing back to him.

It would be nice, he thought wistfully, when Autozam was healed enough to support herself and her population. If they hadn't exceeded their resources so far, he suspected that she would be able to restore them in a similar way to Cephiro. The two lands were close cousins, after all. Then he would be able to get rid of this unnatural knot in his chest. One land was quite enough, thank you.

Moving out from behind him came a man Umi seemed to recognise, her hand tightening on Clef's arm. He had dark hair, and the wired clothing of Autozam. The man she had fought? He tensed slightly, rested his free hand over hers. With contact, he didn't need a gesture to begin the communication spell. /_Is that the man who had the acid?_/

/_Yes._/ She replied, voice tight and unhappy.

They overheard a snatch of the conversation - it seemed there was a new trade agreement in progress over manufacturing engine parts, selling them on to Autozam for some kind of deal on completed transports? It would make sense, given the amount of ships built there... then they were spotted, and the conversation cut out in a splutter of bows and nods.

Neither Clef nor any of the other party offered a conversation, but a surprisingly large number of them smiled. Nearly all, but for Ost, who looked like he wasn't designed for smiling at anything, and that second Autozamnian, who nodded and then kept as many people between himself and them as possible. Clef couldn't make out his expression behind so many bodies, but it wasn't _happy_.

The talking didn't start up again until they were all well away out of earshot, and Clef waited too, before turning to Umi. "Well. That was fairly innocuous - Brooke's friends might have been spying, but I don't see why the others would have bothered. Shall we go on down?"

He was relieved when she nodded. Down in public was going to be less testing to his nerves.

oOo

The Ball hadn't stopped. It wasn't even late enough for them to excuse themselves and vanish, because mostly everyone was still here. But instead of heading back to the dancefloor, Clef led her across to where ChangAn was holding court from one of the tables, and got into the conversation.

Umi was… a little disappointed, maybe, but more relieved, because she didn't know quite what to do now. She'd run out of babble when the first shock faded. Just ignore what had happened and go on without mentioning it? That seemed to be Clef's idea. Though…

He wasn't meeting her eyes. They were still muttering the occasional comment to each other, but each time he glanced at her, he didn't get as far as her eyes. It had been amusing for a few moments, when she thought he was merely as embarrassed as she was, but now she was growing worried. She'd been a little… enthusiastic…

Umi bit down on her lip and looked away at the dancing couples, eyes aching a little from the brightness of the lights now it was so late. She'd been having so much fun, earlier, with Clef, that she'd been carried away by it all, gone too far. Though how _he_ got to be the one disturbed when kissing her was _his idea_ –

She glanced back at him, growing angry now, and he did it _again_. "I would expect no less of a land where anything less than a twelve course meal is considered an insult." He murmured, something to do with the conversation about importing different types of food for variety in meals, and looked across, gaze falling first on her shoulder, then quickly up to her chin, but getting no further than-

…her lips?

He turned away, and there was a hint of extra colour high in his cheeks.

_Oh_.

Well.

That was a different reason to be flustered. One which had her doing the same, and her face was heating up again now when she'd just got it under control, and there was no reason for her to be embarrassed in a dry conversation about selling food to Belise.

_I guess we both got a little carried away_. She thought, waiting quietly. _It still doesn't mean anything. Don't read into it, Umi. You'll only be disappointed, and lose this friendship. _

She shivered at the idea, and turned to pay determined attention to the conversation.

oOo

As they wandered back through the corridors, there was a hush hanging between them, a little shy, a little uncertain. Umi glanced across at Clef more than she would admit to, now they were alone again, with no distractions.

Clef drew her attention like a - a black hole, gravity pulling her in. And that was more than dangerous; Umi wasn't paying the attention to their surroundings that she had been doing as they walked, neither was Clef, and only Brooke's failure to aim true saved them when he appeared down a side corridor like a swooping owl, near noiseless, until the crack of his gun.

Umi reacted too slow. The bullet was too fast for even Clef to shield against without warning, and she pushed him out of harm's way, but couldn't get out of it herself - a biting pain sliced her right arm, just below the shoulder. A sticky wet heat began to trickle down over her skin, and she could taste copper in the air before the sensation of blood was replaced by a painful tingle spreading down her arm then out across her shoulder, leaving her fingers numb.

"This is all _your fault_!" Brooke snarled, face wrinkled up about his mouth and nose like a tiger snarling. "I know it is!"

Instead of feeling shocked, or anxious, there was rage boiling up in Umi's chest and Brooke was taking aim again, more carefully, right at Clef. A growl rumbled in her throat. She flung her left hand to the ceiling and there was a curse from Clef behind her as the air chilled sharply. She drew in a deep breath, and the cold stung her throat all the way down to the bottom of her lungs. "KOURI NO YAIBA!"

Shards of ice glinted in the air and drew all the heat from Brooke's face, leaving it snow white as the daggers shot towards him, fast as his bullet had been. There was just time for Clef to snap her name and Umi hissed back at him, but concentrated enough to aim.

Brooke's gun was torn from his hand before he could use it, a few drops of blood going with it through the air. His clothes were caught up at his shoulders and hips, ice digging in and flinging him back into the wall, pinning him there. More shards stapled down his cuffs and any other point where there was enough free fabric to get hold of - or nearly enough. She caught skin too in more than one place, but not enough to do more damage than a shallow cut. Three more shards picked up the gun, tossed it across the room after him, and then slammed straight through it.

The final missile sliced a thin line across Brooke's cheek and slammed into the wall by his ear. In the silence afterwards, Umi could hear him whimpering under her own deep gasps for air.

Clef's hand caught her outstretched arm at the elbow, tugged it back to her side. "Come on," he said, low. "Come away. He isn't worth your time. He certainly isn't worth your pain." and he pulled her away down the corridor, leaving Brooke pinned to the wall.

Wisely for once, Brooke didn't say anything as they went. The ice would melt eventually, leaving holes in his clothes and the walls behind, but he'd be freed without help if no one came along.

Clef's hand was too tight on her wrist, but it was nothing to the pain in her other shoulder, which was growing now in step with each thump of her heart, throbbing as blood rushed through it and spilled out, drop by hot drop, to trickle down her sleeve.

Clef took her far enough away that even if Brooke tugged himself free, he couldn't reach them, and then he pulled Umi closer. The careful movement still jostled her arm, and Umi hissed. "Hang on," Clef muttered, wrapping his other arm about her waist. "I'm taking us straight to our room. Damn walking back."

The world span away and back and kept on tilting under Umi's feet. She couldn't regain her sense of balance over the hurt, and turned a low whimper into another sharp hiss, grabbing onto Clef and closing her eyes against the dizziness. "_Gods_ that hurts." She whispered, and Clef got her into a chair and then was muttering something and ripping her jacket sleeve more so he could see the wound.

"The _bastard_." His voice was clipped short, a snarl in each word as his cool fingers touched her arm. "Of course he's the sort to use a tainted bullet - hang on, Umi. This will hurt, but you'll be well in a minute, I promise. Trust me?"

His tone coaxed an answer from her, and she looked up at him for one second, the tiniest smile quirking her lips. "Always."

"Then hold on to the chair."

She did so, and the next moment the world twisted about her as a whole ray of darting aches spread out through her shoulder, running down through the bones of her arm, and across into her chest. Her breath came short, and only her grip on the chair kept her from falling out of it as the pain grew sharper, white-hot.

_Is this what a heart attack feels like?_

She lost track of time, of everything at all save the pain and that one cool spot on her shoulder where Clef was touching her. But eventually it receded, and even the stabbing from the wound felt bearable after that. Cold sweat had gathered on her forehead and neck, and she still had to concentrate hard to stop her gasps for air becoming sobs. But the close touch of Clef's healing spell ran over her, and eased off not only her aching shoulder, but the strained tightness across her back and down her arms.

Umi relaxed back into the chair and drew a deep slow breath. When she opened her eyes, Clef was leant right over her, and he sighed, and dropped his forehead to rest against hers. His eyes closed, but she kept watching him, the sweep of his eyelashes across his cheeks.

"I'm charging him when Eagle's through with him. He's gone far too far, and I'll not let it slide."

"Would you have let it slide if he'd shot you?"

"No." Clef told her, and honestly. He pulled away and stood upright, shaking out his hands like he was the one with pins and needles. "Three times is once too many. Drunken anger, fine, we can deal with him. Blackmailing a blackmailer into an attempt on one of us we can't conclusively prove was his idea, at least not to do real harm. Not this time."

"...Good. Do we really have to wait, though? He's breaking all sorts of laws here..." Clef looked at her ruefully, one eyebrow raised, and she sighed. "No, we can't run off and ask for Kuregu's help to defend us when we're busily chivvying a hundred other people to stand up and be brave enough to defend ourselves."

"And we're not allowed to arrest him, so help we would have to have." Clef pressed a warm mug into her hands - she suspected him of cheating to summon it, but behind him the kettle was steaming softly. "Here, tea."

"When did you..."

He wrapped his hands about her own on the mug. "I needed the hot water to clean the wound. Easier to control the spell if you aren't making the ingredients at the same time, and I'm no healer." Her look must have been an equivalent to his own earlier, and he huffed something that might have been a laugh if it got up some momentum. "I can do a few things, but it's all rough and ready stuff. Hashed together in moments of need." A smile broke through. "More often than not on Lantis, actually. He got into more trouble than most of my other students put together - though a few did put him to shame... He'd fling himself into anything trying to keep up with his brother. Never complained or even thought about asking him to slow down, just set his head down and bullied into anything."

Umi sat in a hush, waiting, hoping he'd say more. She'd drawn moments of memory out of him before, but this was the first time she'd heard him speak of Zagato with a smile on his face, even indirectly... and it mattered to her far more than she wanted it to that he could do that. Besides which, she could do with a story right now.

She didn't want to say anything which might make him pay attention and stop; she had a handy excuse, too, in the mug. She sipped, paid attention, and was rewarded when he settled across from her with another mug, looking into the steam with that smile hovering about his lips.

Of course the knock came the moment he began to speak again, drowning him out and bringing him back to the moment with a thump. Umi jumped too, staring at the door, and before she could move Clef was out of his seat and crossing the room. "No!" She snapped. Tea spilled from her mug as she shoved it down on the table among the papers. "Clef, let me-"

"What, take another bullet for me? Once in an evening is more than enough, Umi!"

"Then stand behind me and put up the strongest shield you can!" she snapped. That got him to turn. "I'm not asking you to go hide in a corner - but if your healing is amateur, mine's non-existent, and I don't want to wind up with either of us hurt and stuck that way because you got hit too hard!"

He hissed, but flung a hand at the door and stepped a little to one side. Light rippled through the air and resolved into coiling, scrolling letters through the air, which twisted about each other and grew denser and denser about the two of them before going translucent, letting Umi see the door through a golden bubble. She didn't hear the words he used, and when he spoke next the spell must be complete. "You'll have to open the shield on the room, you can do it through this shield. I've been practising to have something to hand to the guards which will let me do my job." The last was a muttered thought more than a confidence.

It felt oddly like she was touching the door through a layer of cling film, the gold bending about her hands, but it felt strong for all it was malleable. "Akero." She muttered, and then tugged open the door.

She nearly slammed it straight back shut in the face of the man who stood there - who she'd last seen on the roof less than an hour ago, and before that dripping wet on the floor of a hallway somewhere near the kitchens.

But something in the hunched line of his shoulders stayed her, and he was holding his palms up, hands empty. His eyes were wide, probably blue - she couldn't see clearly through the gold that he was staring at. "What do you want?" She snapped.

"I, uh..." And now he was staring at her shoulder, where the sleeve of the jacket Clef had summoned for her only an hour ago hung ragged and stained, but her skin was clean below it. "Oh. I came... I came to tell you... may I come in?"

Umi glared at him, and Clef stepped closer to her shoulder where he could murmur low enough for only her to hear. "The one who had the acid."

"Yes." She said in return. She still didn't move, either to shut the door or let the man in. He waited, slumped patiently, like he had nothing else he could do with himself.

"...What do you think we should do?" Clef said, still quiet.

Umi blinked, and just kept herself from looking back at him. "What do I think?"

"Your instincts tend to be good. As you keep loudly reminding me, you use your brain. And you've fought him - that's far closer than I've ever been."

She hesitated, and hesitated, but in the end she stepped aside and drew Clef with her. She locked the door and the ward behind the Autozamnian, making him flinch. Clef didn't let the shield drop, and their visitor stood in the middle of the floor looking lost and pale.

"Why did you come here?" Umi demanded again.

"I came - I came because Brooke did something I couldn't stand and I remembered what you told me, Lady Knight, and I had to try - you didn't hurt me, when you could have, and he used a tainted bullet on you. Though I guess you realised." he was staring at her shoulder again. "I thought, if I helped you, then you might... might make the Mage listen to me when I asked you to help my brother." His voice broke on the last, and Clef sighed, and let the shield collapse away.

"What, precisely, is wrong with your brother, and why do you need my help? No - first, who exactly are you? Beyond the person who thought to take my hands off."

"I - my name is Daenae Revue, and my brother is one of the hundreds of people at home who are dying from the fatigue syndrome, and my family doesn't have the _money_ to pay your fees for the cure on Cephiro!"

Clef stood _very straight_ at that. Daenae was looking at the floor though, wringing his hands, and saw nothing.

"He's my little brother - he worked so hard in school and got a scholarship into the most advanced engineering school in Autozam, and then _this_... he's brilliant, he really is, and they were considering him for internship on the restructuring project, he got to work with the warships, and now he doesn't have enough energy to leave the house!" Daenae looked up, and his eyes were shining too bright. If it was an act, it had convinced Umi.

"Please, please, sir. Whatever happens with Brooke, I just want him to take the special cure you have on Cephiro. I want him to _live_. I'll do anything you want - inform on Brooke, or even-" He made an abortive gesture which Umi translated, with a start, to mean _kill him_. "Just, _please_. My brother's had no part of any of this. At least don't ban him from coming - we'll try to raise the fund some other way. Anything."

Umi could practically _feel_ the shock radiating from Clef, though all he did was pause a little too long before he managed to answer.

"Someone has lied to you, and to your brother. There is no 'special cure' on Cephiro-" the man tried to protest but Clef held a hand up and cut him off. "Cephiro _can_ heal those suffering from fatigue syndrome, like Eagle Vision suffered from, but the cure is _natural_. It's an effect of the way Cephiro is created - all living beings on Cephiro are treated as part of the land, and are connected to her, a part of the energy system. They take in energy to replace what they've lost beyond normal levels, a little each day. It's a slow process, especially with such severe cases as his was, which is why we kept him in a coma beyond the moment he would have woken up: it quickened his healing by some months. But that was _all _which was done to him. If you get your brother to Cephiro, however you can, he _will_ _heal._"

"...Really?" The man deflated where he stood, wobbling so much with the release of tension that he stumbled forwards a step to cling to the back of a chair while hope grew shaky and bewildered in his eyes.

"Moreover," Clef said, gently, "the council has agreed to honour a promise I originally made personally, that whoever comes from Autozam to be cured will be provided for in the palace - room and food will be given, free of charge, to them and their close family. A gesture of good faith to prove our commitment to lending aid to all we can, and especially our sister worlds. That was one of the promises this Cephiro was _built_ on, to help others - in particular your land." Umi smiled, remembering the mashin about them, the sun shining new and clean above them and Eagle held safe in their hand. "I'm sorry that a misunderstanding has caused you and your family so much pain. I thought-" and here Clef's voice grew harder. "I thought I had made this _very clear_ to your leaders. I will be personally making sure that message gets through to the people of Autozam as soon as I am able."

"Then… then I want to tell you this. This morning, we lost all contact with Autozam." Daenae said, wringing his hands together so tightly Umi winced in sympathy, but not looking down now. "There's no response at all on the Comm, not even a waiting signal, which means someone must have disabled the satellite stations. My family – we live on one, and I don't know –" He visibly cut himself off, forcing an insipid smile onto his face. "Forgive me, Master Clef. My personal worries are none of your concern. A lot of people have moved out to the satellites, these past few years, worried about what the attempts to heal Autozam might mean for citizens in the mean time. People have been hurt in quakes, a few domes began leaking after shifts… some of the Satellites have become floating cities, not just prisons and shipyards anymore. Most of them carry a Comm station. For all of them to go down and _stay _down, something monumental must be happening, and we don't know what. It drove Brooke a little mad, I think, when he got back this evening and found that there was still no news."

"Are all the Transports out of reach as well? I know some have Comm ability."

"All those Brooke has information on – the entire tourist fleet which was persuaded it would be best if things look like business as normal to the outside world – they aren't responding." His voice wavered. "A lot of them… a lot of them are women and men with families trapped in trouble spots. And we know that no land is really safe from attack, even on the Inner Table. I mean, look at what we tried to do to Cephiro. I… know you cannot think well of me. But for my brother I could ignore it. Even Brooke's attack on you, my Lady. But I think… I think by the end of the conference, we will have lost Autozam, so there is nothing safe in keeping blind now."

Clef nodded slowly, and Daenae stood, apparently out of things to confess. He bowed, and began to retreat to the door before Clef asked, "one last thing, as you are here. What were you talking of on the roof this evening?"

Daenae blushed, eyes flicking across to Umi, and she grit her teeth and refused to be embarrassed again. "That was just Ost's new scheme. He's trying to set up a small alliance to build transports at cheaper rates. We'll probably agree to terms with another meeting, it would guarantee some business we could do with."

"Thank you."

oOo

See, that was better!" Umi told Clef when the door was firmly shut and the wards shored up (she was beginning to be able to feel them when she stood close to the walls, her awareness of them growing each time she had to open them). She knew it was a mistake the moment she said it from the change in the _air_ and this was getting _ridiculous_, how many more times could they change pace in one evening? They'd been doing so well at actually talking earlier. But it wasn't just _Clef_ being short tempered because she was getting wound up before he said a _thing_ and-

(and _sleep_ and _safe_ would help here, the logic goes, and she hates, hates, _hates_ that voice because they aren't going to get _either_ for _days_)

-the descent into yelling was abysmally fast.

"I am _trying_ to stop you from getting hurt -"

"I'm trying the same, and I'm not getting flipped out by it when you-"

"Yes you are! I haven't even been shot!"

"_Nearly_ shot COUNTS, damn you! You were all over Emeraude being all out to protect everyone and never trusting anyone to look after themselves and be with you all the time and you're doing the _exact same thing_ to Lantis and LaFargo and I! All the guards, and I don't know why you even agreed to let me _come_ if every time something happens you're going to order me to hide in the back room!"

He grabbed her by the shoulder, the one which had been shot, and not gently, glaring. She wouldn't back down, leaning in closer to yell at him –

And the thought ran through her mind, swift and certain. _He's going to kiss me again._

She froze, losing the thread of her anger, and the moment vanished as Clef took a wary step back, confused by her stillness. "I _know _I - it's _hard_, Umi!" He flung his hands out wide, and she shut up, still reeling. "I'm trying to do my job and let other people _do theirs_ - I'm not shielding the castle back home, I'm not interfering with the guard schedules or keeping track of who asks Presea for new weapons and every tiny monster the guards get called out to deal with - but I want to _do my job_ without getting anyone else hurt, because that's what I'm here for!"

Here, presumably meaning 'around and living' instead of 'at this stupid hotel where a lot of people don't like me and about four trust me' in this case.

"I _know_ I'm bad at it, I do _not_ need the constant reminders about it! I'm doing my best here, but it's - trying to get a balance between sharing weight and lifting my own load, when I don't know how much everyone else was carrying before I started adding to it - and Lantis brought it on himself, he kept _pushing_ and if you want me to do anything without digging in my heels that's _not _a good way to start and you'd think he'd _know_ it by now, but no! And I know he doesn't mean it like that, but it still bugs me! And he's taught LaFarga the same thing and I am babbling at you because I am too tired and uncomfortable and this conversation ends now, because it's going nowhere I want to go tonight."

Clef took a deep breath. Umi blinked at him slowly, then huffed out a sigh of her own. "If I know you're trying not to keep me out, Clef, I don't feel so worried."

"...And how exactly would _you_ set about that? Here, dear friend, is a deep weakness of mine which I am shamed by on regular occasions and cannot talk about without my temper getting in the way because friends of mine _died_ to teach me this lesson and I still haven't _learnt it_-"

He cut off the ragged sarcasm when Umi stepped forward and hugged him, laying her head against his shoulder and looking away, at the room. After a moment he wrapped his arms about her back. It would have been a contrast to the thrill of the touch earlier this evening, but Umi was too busy with _this_ moment to run comparisons. "I'd be just as awkward as you, probably more, and you'd tell me so." She told the wall. "...Unless Hikaru or Fuu got there earlier, but they're so gentle with things like that I probably wouldn't even notice. Sometimes I'm a bit slow with things like that."

A laugh huffed against her hair, and then there was a weight in it - Clef had tangled his fingers in the ends, holding on. It was as close to an apology and a thank you as she was going to get for now, and she was perfectly fine with that. He'd let her yell without sending her away - again. He knew her temper. Yet still he leant against her and let them be.

"We were doing so well earlier, too." He said, quietly. His hand came up to rest on her shoulder, over the torn fabric. "Talking."

"Over a threat to _me_. Which is a little different."

"…Yes." He said. His fingers pressed a little tighter, his thumb rubbing over her skin where the wound had been, and she shivered. But not from the memory of pain. She shoved all thought of kissing him away; it wasn't relevant, wasn't helpful, was certainly not about to happen again, whatever she'd thought earlier, it was just-

"If we're being open. You scared me there. Part of me doesn't want you here." His voice shook a little, startling her. "But mostly I'm terrified you'll leave."

Umi held onto him as tightly as she had to get Selece to drag them both out of danger. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't even want to." She promised. "I knew what I was getting into. Well, mostly. I won't abandon you just because the danger I expected has turned up."

After a few minutes of a fragile silence, they disentangled themselves, and Umi couldn't look at him. Everything was just a little too raw; the ball seemed days ago, not hours. "We should both head to bed before we manage any more arguments or deep meaningful confessions tonight." She muttered, looking with slight horror at the clock. She knew she'd be regretting the hours spent talking when she had to get up tomorrow. Well. Later.

Clef saw the look and turned. "...Still time for five hours sleep if we get a move on. I can run on four, long as I don't go too many nights in a row."

"So can I, but it isn't _fun_."

"Less than four hours and I do better not sleeping at all, though."

"…I'm not asking how much experimentation you did to know that."

oOo

Umi didn't think she'd manage to sleep quickly, though, as she brushed through her hair and plaited it for the night. After _that_ -

By which she should really mean _being shot _not _being kissed. _

The lights were already off in the main room as she hesitated the door open slowly, and crept out, wary of any more awkward moments they could manage between them, only to find Clef was already asleep. Thin light fell down through a crack in the curtains and kissed the nape of his neck, playing with the curling ends of his hair while he slept heavily, curled into his quilt.

It was the fastest she'd seen him go, and she almost felt let down: now she'd be all alone with her mind lingering over things she would be far safer not looking at too closely, she knew. Only it was endearing, too, because sleeping that deeply, especially while she was still moving, meant he trusted her. She was still smiling when she pulled the covers up over her own shoulders and fell asleep a few moments later.

In the morning, she barely surfaced enough to pull the covers over her head when the alarm shrilled, and was fast slipping under again when Clef shook her arm and presented her with tea so strong her mouth went dry as she drank it. It wasn't until they were sat in the middle of the Dining Hall eating breakfast that she suddenly thought _yesterday we kissed_ and nearly dropped her spoon. But it was far too late to try being awkward, in the middle of an amiable argument over which of the fruit which came in the selection was nicest, so she shook her head, smiled at Clef, and told him he was an idiot - the orange thing was _clearly_ the nicest.

They walked to the Hall, for once, and settled into place with time to spare for Umi to sit back and look about the table. They had Eorl's promise. They needed only one more vote, and then with Kuregu siding with the winners they would be able to win the referendum, and Clef had run the numbers that morning of the outer lands who had spoken with him, and they already had just over half of them. All they needed was that _one more vote_. She scanned the table, looking for someone they could talk to – and avoiding looking at Brooke.

He was slumped in his seat, glowering at everyone, flinching a little each time he moved his arms, and she was viciously happy at that and then, seconds later, guilty in taking joy in his _pain_. It was easier to try to ignore him; she'd have to deal with him later anyway.

Looking around, she ran through all she knew of the other lands sat at the Table. It wasn't much, really, and she gave in with relief when Kuregu stood to open the meeting. Surely Clef would be able to think of _something_ to persuade one of them - or ChangAn, he knew so much. Tatra too... she pushed the thoughts aside and settled to work on her literature homework (which she hadn't doodled on, and which was at least a little more interesting than the conversation about maintenance problems on the few permanent roads between worlds).

Fifteen minutes into the meeting, the middle doors swung back, and the whole room turned to look, conversation faltering to a standstill.

Eagle Vision walked in. He smiled. "My apologies for being late."

oOo

end chapter thirteen

oOo


	14. Chapter 14

I haven't had time to get to reviews this week, but thank you! I'll try to do so soon. You all made me grin. XD I love you people, and thank you for your patience, and kind words!

In the meantime… I wasn't going to have this ready quite this quick, but my beta was a bad influence (we take turns XD) and so, chapter fourteen. Which will be followed next weekend by fifteen. If you're allergic to cliffhangers, you might want to hold that in mind – this would be one of the chapter breaks I knew from the start. (The other being Eagle walking in. The title of this part was largely inevitable from that point…)

There's quite a lot to read before the end of the chapter, too. XD

I hope you enjoy it~ even those jokes I couldn't resist…

~down

oOo

Chapter Fourteen : A Vision For Sore Eyes

oOo

"I apologise for the interruption of course, Honoured Representatives of the Alliance - but though I regret it, it is necessary, as I'm here to see to the arrest and removal of the man known as 'Brooke' and his associates from this assembly, and to nullify any and all agreements he may have entered into in the name of Autozam as he is neither elected nor endorsed by my country!"

Eagle paused, staring hard at Brooke, and the room managed a stunned silence for half a second before bursting into speculation and shocked outcry. People were standing up to see better, some even coming down the staged tiers around the room and stopping just short of coming onto the main floor. All on the table had turned to look at Eagle, apart from a few staring in outrage at Brooke instead. Umi turned just far enough to see the edge of Clef's grin and Eagle at the same moment. Clef spotted her glancing at him, and the grin turned to a smirk before he forced it away. He leant across, and murmured to her. "A tricky one, Eagle. I told Lantis he shouldn't worry."

"Like_ you_ weren't worried at all." Umi shot back, then turned away as the room hushed again. Brooke was standing across from them - Eagle gestured to the guards flanking him, and they walked forwards to seize Brooke.

"You - you can't do this!" Brooke yelled, but he was pale and shaking. Not with anger, but with eyes wide and horrified. "Not - how are you _here?_ No, no matter. I was elected, Vision - I was elected by the parliament in the Glass Hall-"

"_No._" Eagle said flatly. His voice was barely raised, but Brooke went silent and quailed back into the grasp of the two guards. "You and a tiny group of disaffected politicians and military officers staged a violent coup, and forcibly took control of the government dome. You forced the few MPs still within it to stand with your weapons at their backs and make a show of electing you, but there were not enough to make the smallest of legal councils, even when not under duress."

"I demand a trial in the high courts!" Brooke went on, "I- I have acted in good faith that my orders came from a lawful body, and-"

"You'll get a trial, all right." Eagle said as his men handcuffed Brooke and the others with him. "But it'll be before the satellite courts, or by proxy, unless you want to risk the same fate as your associates."

"I… what?" One of the others said, Brooke seemingly speechless before that grim proclamation.

"It seems a party of men, under orders from the 'council' that the imprisoned MPs were forced to nominate, attempted to manually remove the link connecting Autozam herself to our good neighbour Cephiro." Eagle said, and Umi heard Clef's quiet 'oh' in the pause. "The link which our poor, depleted land was using to support herself while she began the long process of renewal."

"That _link_ was an abomination! A chain about our necks! Especially now Autozam is recovering itself-"

"_Autozam disagrees_." Eagle snapped. The room went beyond silence into a hush so strong it could be felt. Clef sat up straighter, no hint of a smile on his face now. Just concentrated attention. "Their efforts were thwarted by the land _herself_, Brooke - they woke her up, and she made her feelings _very _plain. Every one of your coup who she found guilty of treason against herself and her people were dissolved and re-absorbed into the land as soon as soon as they entered the atmosphere. Those who truly did have good intentions she spared, and _they_ will stand for trial in the Glass Hall - those who fear her wrath are being kept on a satellite in orbit, beyond her reach. You are, of course, free to choose where you go. I strongly suggest honesty. You are, after all, the only one who will pay if you don't."

Geo's people managed to escort Brooke three steps from the table, still trying to get the handcuffs on, before he turned and lunged at Clef. Umi had been half expecting it - she kept her sword sheathed in her gauntlet and leapt to her feet between them, flinging one hand toward Brooke and throwing a dragon into the coloured air of the Hall, concentrating on keeping it snarling for Brooke's head. She menaced him back into Geo's hands and then snapped her raised hand into a fist, and the dragon dissipated with a scattering of water, leaving Brooke bedraggled, but Geo behind him dry.

Geo nodded to her. "Thank you for your assistance, Lady Ryuuzaki." He said, and a stir went about the room at that token of friendship, too. Or perhaps that was at the magic. He wrangled Brooke himself, getting the cuffs on and locked so a yellow-white glow surrounded the metal, and left the other guards to herd the former delegation over by the doors, away from anyone else. Eagle walked on, head high, to bow before Kuregu. "You have my sincerest apologies that our private business has come in the way of the Assembly, Honoured Representative Kuregu. I request permission to send these people immediately back to Autozam under guard while my second and I remain to replace them. Here is my proof of legitimacy." He held across one of those thin crystals.

Kuregu waved Chrissy forwards. She took it, glanced back at Kuregu, and inserted it straight into the table. The projector slid out, and a complicated, three-dimensional seal appeared in mid-air. After a second, Umi recognised it as a version of the sign she'd seen on their tour of the NSX, a while back, when Eagle was still comatose and Zazu had been bored and more than willing to act as tour guide.

Below it appeared a long scroll of words which rotated slowly so everyone in the room could see them, and she recognised the set of box-like icons at the bottom as the kind which would lead to more information, but Kuregu merely looked at the text a moment, then nodded. Chrissy withdrew the crystal, and handed it over to one of the other Dleivans, who now walked out with it.

"I think that we can agree to that, as long as full reports are returned afterwards. Your claim overrules any other for the moment. You are hereby accepted as Representative of Autozam, Eagle Vision. Though there will need to be an investigation into what happened to let these imposters get so far. And, of course, we must look into the security issues raised by your being able to get here at all." Kuregu added, blandly. "If the pilots that we used are so ready to give out the coordinates of this destination… but then, these were exceptional circumstances, I suppose, with your being from Autozam itself. It may well not have been possible for anyone else." Which could be taken about a hundred ways, none of them really good.

Eagle didn't even flinch at the implication he was abusing his position. But then, he didn't have to respond. Another voice spoke out, and a smaller, slight figure stepped up into the light on the dias, in front of him.

"I am the only one that needs to be investigated - I am the pilot who brought Eagle here. It was my own decision, and I take full responsibility for it."

Clef's lips curved into a little smile, and he heard Umi beside him whispering "oh, Zazu…" The mechanic looked very young indeed, pale, his fists shaking visibly as the entire Alliance stared down at him… but he didn't back down, and his voice, though cracking, was clear enough.

"I was one of the pilots who brought the representatives from Dleivus, but I didn't talk to any of the others about what I was going to do - I didn't tell anyone, except Eagle, when he needed to get here. I didn't give away the coordinates, and no one else was allowed onto the bridge while in flight, or since. You can check the black box, it logs entries and exits from the bridge, and when the doors were locked. I even scrambled the journey - to Dleivus, then the set time here."

Zazu swallowed hard, still looking firmly at Kuregu's unchanging face. Clef could see his hands clench tighter for a moment, then he flattened them against his trousers. "You can… you can arrest me, and take away my status as a pilot - whatever you like, I understand. But I did this on my own, I'm the only one you have to worry about."

"Your understanding in this matter would be appreciated." Eagle said, quietly, his eyes fixed on Kuregu's face, neither man giving anything away. "I believe Torque has acted honourably, especially in the difficult circumstances, but of course we understand there has to be an investigation."

"Very well." Kuregu nodded, and looked down to Zazu. "You will have to be arrested, of course, but the matter will be dealt with quickly." One of the _other_ secretaries stepped forwards, and lay a hand on Zazu's shoulder to escort him from the room. Geo watched him all the way through the doors; Eagle didn't look away from Kuregu for a second. Kuregu raised a hand, standing, and the chatter about the edges of the room fell silent.

"If you will remain seated and quiet for a few moments, fellow Representatives, while we organise the removal of these subversive elements from the Venue…" and he led Eagle back across to the doors, Chrissy and another at his side, to begin a quiet, sharp conversation. As he'd taken Zazu into custody but told Eagle he could ship Brooke straight home, they needed to get another pilot from somewhere and store the prisoners until they could get here.

In the meantime, the room waited, highly entertained.

"Are you going to talk to Eagle about him?" Umi asked quietly, nodding across the Table where Geo stood overseeing the handcuffing of Daenae and the others, several of them protesting and twisting away. Daenae held out his wrists, sullen and quiet, and stood watching the rest play out.

Clef leant slightly closer, watching Eagle closely. "I'm not going to interrupt Eagle in full flow, and I don't want to look like I'm attacking him in front of the whole room. When he's finished talking to Kuregu there might be just enough time to - ah. Now." As Kuregu nodded and sat down his secretaries scuttled away with the printouts and data-crystals Eagle had handed over. Eagle turned to check on Geo's progress, and Clef concealed his hand behind Umi's back - she felt his fingers skim her side briefly as he gestured, and caught a flash of light in his eyes.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when his voice rang clear in her mind. Eagle made the same closely aborted flinch, one hand twitching; she'd never have seen it if she hadn't been able to hear Clef's voice.

/_Eagle, I need to speak with you - some of them have been misguided. The one called Daenae Revue, at least, seems to have resorted to this because of lies he was told, about having to pay extortionate amounts for Cephiran aid for his brother's fatigue syndrome_./

/_Paying?_/ Eagle replied, glancing casually about at the table and then back to Geo again. /_That about fits with a few of the stories we've been finding on Autozam... things have not been running as they should. We're investigating. Which one is Daenae? The one not making a fuss?_/ He sounded tired, but not as bad as the days of the coma. There was strength to his thoughts.

/_Dark hair, green tunic_./ Clef confirmed.

/_The one who isn't squirming about_./

/_Hello, Umi. I thought I spotted you when I came in - I didn't dare to look about for long enough to check. Is all this entertaining enough for you?_/

/_It's a nice break, actually, not being the centre of attention_./

/_Umi's here as my bodyguard, at Lantis's insistence I brought one - and Ferio's insistence it was someone I would refrain from murdering by the end of the first day_./

/_Refrain from murdering, or be incapable of murdering?/_ Umi thought and laughed at him, glancing across.

/_I'd heard you were having some sort of trouble, but didn't have much time to get caught up before we got here. Geo talked to Lantis this morning, but didn't warn me to expect the Knight of Water! I feel sorry for the person who tries to murder either of you_./

/_You're arresting one of them. Well, two, technically_./ Clef told him dryly. /_She showed considerable restraint and left Brooke in mostly one piece for Geo_./

/_...I'm sure he'll be duly thankful_./ Eagle said. /_We do indeed need to have a conversation soon, I see._/

/_More than you know. We'll be in the little café building, the red one, at lunch, if you get caught up soon enough. Or if you make your way to our rooms this afternoon - we're in H sixty seven - we can have a mini-council. Princess Tatra will certainly wish to join us, and ChangAn or SangYung will probably come. We can feed you coffee and cakes and tea_./

/_If you're offering two types of caffeine straight off it must have been a week like mine. We'll make our way to you as soon as we can_./

Clef's thoughts were tinged with a smile that he kept from his face successfully this time. /_We'll see you about an hour later than you're planning to arrive, then. One of the secretaries is about to accost you - it's good to see you're alright, even if overly busy_./

/_Same here. And it will be nice to speak to you in person again, Umi, rather than always over the Comm_./

/_And over Hikaru's head while she bounces_./ Umi imagined a laugh at Eagle until she could see a smile cross his face.

Umi looked up at Clef in time to see the gleam of power vanish from his eyes as he cut the connection. She concentrated, hard, on his profile, and thought at him, imagining drawing power up to her temples as she did so. Pulling the warmth in her chest with her will alone. She remembered Clef's gesture - she span a quick circle with her index and central fingers, using it as a kind of trigger moment, like she normally used words to release the power she'd drawn. /_It sounds like he's already got people acting on it - we don't have to be angry at him. That's a relief_./

She _felt_ Clef jump, and grinned so broadly her cheeks hurt. /_Yes - I was worried he'd be so angry with the revolt that he'd ignore it. Or, no, not be angry, but so focused on getting rid of it as quickly and neatly as possible. Or he might still have been too far from power in Autozam - but his tone said 'action', didn't it. I don't like being angry with people I like. ...I take it you decided learning a new trick would be helpful?_/

/_It seemed silly to never be able to start these conversations, except with Selece_./ Her grin refused to go away with Clef smiling at her. _I...Of course, we're stood so close I might not be able to think at people over a distance or something_.../

Shaking his head slightly, Clef turned back to watching the ongoing drama, but his silent voice was wrapped in warmth. /_You're fine, the power's flowing right. Some practice to make it more efficient, perhaps, but it's not like opportunity for practice will be limited_./

"If that is all, Vision, then perhaps we can continue the discussion which was interrupted in the time we have left." Kuregu announced, sweeping back to the head of the table. Eagle walked up too, and took his seat. A moment later the last of Brooke's delegation was gone from the room, and Geo came back to sit beside him. He held the datapad Brooke had been using at all the meetings, plugged his headset into it, and handed the now-glowing tablet to Eagle so he could skim through the day's work so far while it continued. Eagle rolled his eyes at Geo using himself as a battery pack, but accepted.

oOo

When the discussion wrapped up, Clef took the chance and caught Kuregu's eye, raising his hand. The look he got in return was considering, but eventually Kuregu nodded, and Clef could speak.

"Before we break off, I suggest the lunch break be extended by an hour, so the Honourable Representative Vision can become acquainted with the progress of the Conference so far."

Elphinstone's glare at Clef was one of the finest Umi had seen. Robin, on the other hand, failed to keep to a glare - she was on her feet and snapping. "An _hour_? To dictate what you consider Vision should do? We all know of your _special relationship_ with the Commander-"

"I'm sure Representative Vision is capable of choosing a sane path for Autozam on his own." Clef retorted, the 'unlike you' heavily implied, and Robin's face went bright as her robes. Eagle blinked a little at the open aggression, but before he could step in Reigan's voice slashed through the squabbling.

"Would you expect any less, were you the one delayed arriving?"

"I'd see to it that I _was not late_." Robin grumbled, but sat and shut up.

Clef was still, but his smirk was shouting and dancing and waving flags, utterly indiscreet. Umi elbowed him, and got his thoughts in return, giddy with triumph /_They only had Autozam's support because Brooke was on shaky footing. Everyone knows the proposal would drain Autozam dry of its transports. Robin can count, she thinks we've reached a draw, but with Eorl..._/

/_We can call the Referendum. Which we are likely to win._/

/_Yes._/ His voice came sharply into focus. /_And with that reaction, there's no doubt the three are the driving force behind this whole idea._/

oOo

As the table emptied, Kuregu beckoned Eagle and Geo to follow him, and swept across to the door – only to be held up by one of the minions he'd sent off with the prisoners earlier, who hastened into the room and almost slipped over in the attempt to not crash into her boss. Kuregu sighed, and held a hand up before she could speak. "If you would excuse me a moment, Representative Vision…"

"Of course." Eagle replied. "We will wait outside the doors, if you don't mind. After so many hours in transport, a moment to stretch our legs is welcome."

"Very well." Both men vanished down the corridor, Kuregu setting off at a pace not easily matched by the woman who had only an average length of leg to stride out with. Elphinstone immediately leant across and muttered to Robin – Umi noticed the movement only because of the brightness of the clothing catching the light, as everyone else in the room began to stir. Robin slipped from the table and walked out, calmly.

Clef was watching Eorl, but Eorl's eyes were on the door – until the moment Robin walked back inside, no longer quite so calm, the frown-lines on her brow too strong to be disguised, though she tried.

Eorl looked back at Umi and Clef, then, and smiled, her expression one of relief. "You have it." She murmured, quietly.

"Thank you." Clef said.

oOo

Even with an extra hour for lunch, there was barely time to eat. Each time Clef picked up his fork, someone else sidled up to their table to pledge their vote, or reaffirm in public promises made in private. They had had to ask for the screen by the side of the table to be moved away so people could see, and the constant stream of them got increasingly in the way of the glowering waiter Spark had pointed out to them beforehand. He grew surlier with each detour he had to make, until Clef was exceedingly glad he wasn't serving _their _table.

It was good for one other thing, though. Umi was able to eat her main course without stopping, and she kept on eating the small helpings of desserts he pushed in front of her without paying much attention to what she was doing. The power she'd used up the past few days was immense, and they were so far from Cephiro – if she needed to cast again…

They were so close to shoving this whole issue out of the way. But that meant anyone intent on stopping them would be more determined by the hour. Clef wished he could believe Brooke was behind it all – that with Mikke and him both out of the way things would be safer. But the _strongest _threat was still out there, biding their time and learning the shape of Clef's magic, and Umi's now as well.

Finally they were able to make their excuses and leave for the afternoon meeting. Clef tugged Umi out of sight behind the café – anyone watching would hopefully just think they wanted a moment or so alone. He let go when they were well and truly out of sight, and began a viewing spell, holding the image in the air between his hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked, leaning closer to watch the light spilling into shape. So curious. And so sharp. She frowned as the corridor to the Hall came into focus. "Why are you – do we want to meet someone, or not meet them?"

"I want to speak to Eagle a moment." Clef told her, watching Lady Kit stalk through the image, trailing aides. "I want to be _certain_ of him before I call any vote. He should fully know what's happening by, unless Kuregu detained him for too long, or someone caught him and managed to spin it out to sound feasible. Lady Robin certainly didn't seem pleased, but I need to hear it directly. I should have asked earlier, but I didn't think there was time to explain properly."

"…He and Geo aren't going to be impressed with us appearing on top of them. Couldn't you just think at him again when we get inside, if you don't want people hearing you?"

"There's no guarantee of enough time once we're in the Hall. I have to be _sure_. I can only do this once." The doors opened again in the viewer. "Can you deal with it? I'll be busy with wrapping up the transport spell, you'll have to keep us safe." He looked up at her, watched her be taken aback, and then the pause as she considered it carefully before answering, working out how she would need to act.

That moment of thought affirmed his trust in her to manage this.

After a second she nodded. "I'll keep us safe." She said, and drew her sword.

Clef shook his hands through the spell to disperse it, and stepped close to lay his arm around her waist. "Good. Ready? They're walking in."

oOo

Umi stood at an angle to Clef as they jolted into the corridor, keeping her sword arm free and her body between him and the two men ahead, her other hand on Clef's shoulder to keep her balance as they shifted place to place.

Eagle reacted before they had even touched the floor, spinning and shooting thin wires at them from a device hidden up one sleeve, his motion lit only by the minor glow of Clef's magic; the attack was to catch and hold them still for long enough that Geo could turn and slice towards them with a knife pulled from his belt, hilt disguised as a buckle and a thin blade of energy growing from it at his touch.

Umi swung her sword in a wide arc, catching the threads and turning them aside to slam into the wall instead, whipped her blade about full circle and got both hands on the hilt just in time to meet Geo's knife. The blow vibrated up her arms, muscles aching with the effort to turn the weapon away enough to miss Clef as well as herself, and forcing Geo to stumble between them and Eagle as the wires shot back to him ready to fire again. The second it took was just enough for Clef to focus, one hand still about her, and she felt the air shudder as he muttered '_cresta!_' by her ear.

Eagle took the shot as soon as Geo was clear, but the wires this time struck the flicker of Clef's shield, the usual glow muted to a whisper but enough to batter the attack aside. The spell cast light for only a few metres. Just enough for them to be recognised.

"…Ah." Eagle said, and retracted the wires a second time.

Geo's response was less restrained, and the translator spell refused to find an equivalent for it which Umi could understand. He glared, too. "Master Clef! What d'you think you're playing at? That was _not funny!"_

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I need to speak with Eagle a moment. You have heard of the debate, yes? Will you vote with me when I call for a referendum against this Army?"

Eagle walked over and patted Geo's still-bristling shoulder. "Can you win?"

"With you as well, yes. Certainly."

Eagle smiled, a bright, dangerous expression which looked scarily like Tatra's. "Autozam stands with you. It would be madness to do otherwise. We need all the resources we can gather to keep the restoration on track, not to go on taxes and free warships for some joint intimidation force."

"Good. That's – thank you, Eagle." Clef relaxed, his shoulders lowering and the last of the shield fading from the air, leaving them in calm shadow. "As long as she doesn't try knocking me out again the moment I start talking, we'll be fine."

"…You felt her wake, too?" Eagle said, tone rueful. "It knocked out all of your mages still on Autozam and the satellites, but you were so far away…"

"It was rather a shock. You should go ahead. We'll lurk here a moment more. There's enough talk about each of us manipulating the other already, no point antagonising them too much."

Eagle nodded, the motion just visible as Umi adjusted to the thin light coming in from the door to the Hall, and the faint guiding lights along the floor. Umi let her sword cascade away before anyone else could walk in and see it, and after a minor but politically significant pause they walked in.

oOo

Kuregu was last into the room, sweeping in with only three secretaries, one of whom scuttled off to Eagle immediately. Kuregu didn't watch the data crystal exchange hands, and the rest of the room muffled their curiosity. He didn't give them time to dwell on it, though, settling in his chair and leaning back to look at them like some disapproving headmaster. Every seat at the table was now occupied. "Are we to continue this cycle of debates, or will there be any real progress today?" He asked.

The table bristled, a shiver running through the shoulders of the people sat there who weren't quite as sure as Clef – and, apparently, Kuregu – of the numbers. Clef raised his hand calmly, forcibly ignoring the nerves flapping in his chest hard enough to hollow it out. "If I may?"

Kuregu nodded.

"I agree with the Honourable Representative for Dleivus, there has been enough time for each of us here to make up their mind on the worthiness – or otherwise – of this issue. I propose we hold a referendum among the whole Assembly to cease the issue."

"I second the notion." ChangAn said, firmly, before any had chance to object.

Lady Reigan looked about, somehow drawing everyone's attention to herself so no one spoke before her, though she did not hurry. "I third it."

"Then it goes to the vote." Kuregu said, and a section of the tabletop rotated away in front of each representative, holding two stones, one amber, one green. Clef's heart was beating hard, and he struggled to keep his breath even, shocked by just how quickly things were rolling now he'd pushed the stone off the top of the hill. Elphinstone made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, and his face was almost a caricature of anger, but there was nothing he could say to stop this now. "This is only a vote on the referendum, may I remind you all." Kuregu turned a slow gaze about the whole of the table.

Clutching his hands together, Clef kept himself still, and then lay a hand on Umi's arm below the table when she fidgeted in her seat. The touch, meant to calm her, helped him settle as well; he left his hand there as Kuregu spoke.

"A referendum to cease the issue would mean a ban on repeating this topic for several years, should it pass, and will need a clear majority among the whole Assembly to do so. If you wish to hold the Referendum, take the blue stone in hand until it lights, and set it back. If you wish to keep the discussion going, take the amber and do the same. Once the stone is alight, a vote cannot be rescinded. Abstention is not allowed." He looked about, one more time. "Make your choice."

Clef reached out with the hand not on Umi's arm, and took up the blue stone. It was cooler than he had expected, and he wrapped his fingers about it, watching carefully until a light began to glow in the middle of it. The power was cold, too, drawing heat from his palm. He set it back precisely in its niche, where the glow shone over the other stone, and across the hard black material of the inside of the Table.

Only then did he look about.

Wellesley was setting an amber stone back into place. Lady Kit had one in her hand, long fingers entirely swallowing the colour of it, then she put the blue sphere down with a mild glare, as if it had affronted her somehow. Finally, Kuregu took his own sphere up a moment, and returned it. They sat too deeply in the table for the actual stone to be visible, but the light painted the edges of each hollow.

Eight stones turned amber.

Twelve glowed blue.

Autozam had given them ten votes – half the table. Eorl took them to a majority, and Kuregu then cast his lot in with theirs.

Clef's chest grew even lighter a moment. He let go Umi's arm and reached, unthinking, for her hand instead. She tangled their fingers together and held on tight.

The projector in the middle of the table set itself up and began to whirr, painting the results in the air after Ash – who had generally been the most composed of the Three – snarled so loudly everyone in the room could hear him. Pike of Aquitaine was not much better, half rising to his feet before he slumped down again, and Minli of Gegnesburg – the closest to their end of the table who had voted against the referendum, was glaring at first Clef and then Eagle, poised on the edge of snapping but torn between who to snap at.

Clef slipped down from the first, vicious high of winning that battle with thought that this was only half way. A battle won – not quite the war. Kuregu took a crystal from the table; a copy of the result to be sent immediately for safe storage, and dispatched the same woman who had stumbled over him at the end of lunch. She had a sprinter's build, and went fast enough even at a walk when Kuregu was not beside her for comparison. Not as fast as Umi, and certainly not as graceful in her movements…

Clef shook his head to clear the sudden memory of kissing Umi on the roof and let go her hand, hoping that the flush on his cheeks merely looked like victory. He clasped his hands together on the tabletop, and leant forward to pay attention as the projection and the voting spheres were concealed away. There was a small flash of light beside him. Umi had her schoolwork out again, now the moment was over, and was bending her head over the incomprehensible pages, hair cascading down between them.

"Very well. The Referendum will take place at the end of the session tomorrow morning." Kuregu announced. "Now, if we can, finally, _move on_…"

Elphinstone, moving with an angry swiftness, darted in with a suggestion for changing identity protocols; one designed to snarl up those who, like Cephirans, could alter their appearance. Clef dragged his attention firmly back to work and caught Kuregu's attention to counter the idea.

oOo

That evening Eagle and Geo were only twenty minutes late to the room, and no one else was due for another hour. "We should refrain from bombarding him with information from all sides at once." Tatra had said, when Clef snatched a moment with her at the end of the meeting. "Besides, you will need to speak on the link between your lands, and those people of yours who were in Autozam first of all." There had been no knocks on the door tonight to interrupt, everyone choosing sides in public now that the vote was called.

With Geo alone at his shoulder, and no one else watching, Eagle seemed very thin and edging towards delicate again, but not as desperate as he had been when they'd first met. He glanced about the room as they came in, and grinned at the two beds. "I may say hello properly now, Clef, Umi - I hear you're here as his mistress?" he said, as soon as the door closed, with a bright bright grin on his face and Geo amused behind him.

"People still believe that?" Clef asked, startled. "I mean, enough you've already heard about it? I'd have thought Brooke would have been spreading stories of unprovoked violence to scare people by now."

"Oh, he has." Eagle said, amused. "He just still believes you're lovers as well."

"So I'm pretty and dangerous, instead of just pretty dangerous?" Umi said, ignoring the blush heating her face. She thought _very hard_ about anything at all except Clef's lips on hers, the way his hand had - "Would you like a drink?"

"His version was rather less polite, but had much the same meaning." Geo assured her, taking Eagle by the shoulder and steering him bodily to the seat adjacent to Clef's. "A cup of tea would be wonderful - I assume that Master Clef has been hoarding teabags again?" He ignored Clef's indignant 'hey!' and picked up the used mugs from the coffee table. "Eagle's not to have any more caffeine today-" ignoring Eagle's objection too "but I'm sure he'd like a drink."

Clef looked a tad sheepish. "That might be slightly problematic..." He was cut short by Umi's theatrical sigh.

"Fear not, _I_ managed to think ahead and grab some of the herbal stuff. I also got something I think might be decaffeinated, but I can't read them to check."

"Why didn't you ask me?" Clef said, craning to stare at her. Umi, face still hot, stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm planning on switching them and not telling you. It didn't seem polite to ask. Also, you'd steal them if I handed them over."

"I'd be happy to check them for you," Geo said, coming across the room and smiling down while Clef complained loudly at this betrayal to Eagle, who agreed with a laugh. "You boil the kettle," Geo continued, "and I'll rinse these out then have a look."

"You don't need to - I'll do that!" Umi said, somewhat startled, as Geo finished collecting the mugs and set off for the bathroom. "You're a guest here!"

"So are you, water knight." He retorted. "It's a _hotel_."

Umi followed him and filled the kettle at the sink while he waited to wash them. As the door swung shut behind them, Geo sighed and relaxed, rolling his shoulders and his neck until there was a painful sounding _crack_. "Thank you for being so welcoming. Our mess has been giving you a lot of hassle - you'd have every right to be mad with us, both of you. But Eagle's in need of friendship at the moment, more than just mine"

"That goes for you, too, I think." Umi perched on the edge of the bath and watched Geo loom over the sink to wash the cups out, looking critically at the shadow on his face - and, just visible, under the cuffs of his sleeves. She reached out and pulled the the sleeve up to reveal the raw marks of a rough binding. "...and as _your_ friend, the first thing I should do is yell at you for not mentioning _that_ as soon as you were in the door. Are your ankles just as bad?"

Geo pulled his arm away. "No." He said, quietly.

"...But they're still not well." Umi concluded. "We're your _friends_, Geo. You're meant to _tell_ us when we can help."

Geo turned to look at her, confused. "I thought Fuu was the knight who could heal. have you learnt it too?"

Shaking her head, Umi stood and turned for the door. "No, but Clef can. I'll get him to-"

"Wait!" Geo hissed, grabbing her shoulder. Umi spun about, startled. "Don't - Eagle doesn't _know_, Umi. And I don't want him to."

Slowly, she came back and sat on the bath again, mind whirring. "He didn't spot anything?"

"We've only been together since about an hour before we got on the transport to come here, and he spent most of that hacking through all the information they flung at him before he got on board, trying to leave as many orders as he could with the others who are going back. They needed his signature on hard copies of things, you see. We haven't had much of a chance to rest and check ourselves out, let alone work out what the other one's concealing." Geo explained, and there was exhaustion in his voice and the slump of his shoulders. "I was going to have a quiet word with the mage about possibly doing something for Eagle - I think he has a sprained ankle, at least. He was limping a little when he stopped being on display earlier. But this isn't enough to bother worrying Eagle - because he'd feel awful he didn't notice, Umi. You know he will. I'm fine like this."

"_Or_ we can work out a sneakier solution." Umi assured him, and closed her eyes, making the same twisting gesture and _thinking_ at Clef as hard as she could. /_Clef! Can you hear me?_/

/..._Yes? What is it? Something Eagle shouldn't know about, I suppose?_/ Came the answer, along with a sense of Clef's presence, a spark quiet but bright. _/...I told you you'd get chance to practise that trick_./

/_One, Eagle's hurt - probably a bad ankle at least. If you could accidentally 'discover' it and sort it out_.../

/_Easy enough. And for two... Geo's hurt?_/

/_Wrists and ankles. I don't suppose you want a glass of water?_/ There was a strong sense of _ugh_ from him for a moment, and Umi snickered.

A pause while Clef considered, still continuing the quiet rumble of conversation with Eagle in the background, then /_I think I can channel the spell through you. I'll hand Eagle some paper so he's distracted, you grab Geo's hands_./

/_Got it_./ She opened her eyes again, confident the connection would stay open, and the bathroom seemed brighter than before. "We're being sneaky. Give me your hands, if you please."

Geo dried them and held them out, bemused. His fingers dwarfed Umi's, rough in places from the weapons he handled frequently.

/_Ready._/ She thought at Clef.

/_Best if you keep your eyes closed. Concentrate on wanting Geo to be well_./ Clef murmured, and she could hear the pause of conversation in the other room as Clef handed over his distraction. There came the bright, prickly sensation of Clef's magic, still raw, wrapping about her as if he stood at her back, his arms about her waist. /_Together now_./ Clef said, softly, and she thought of washing away wounds and pain and spoke the word as she felt it even as it echoed through her in Clef's voice and another tongue, the power surging down her arms and away over Geo's skin.

/_Naose_!/

She could _feel _the spell take, and sent a smile at Clef before they broke away from each other, job done. She got a grin in return before she opened her eyes - and then Geo's startled thanks, as he stared, eyes comically wide.

"That was _not water_." He said, when he had collected himself, pulling his hands away to shake them like he had a case of pins and needles

"Lightning. Clef's magic. I told you we were being sneaky." She had to laugh at his expression when he held his arms up to stare at the clean new skin. It was good to see.

Magic was _so awesome_.

"Did it work on your ankles too?"

"Yes." Geo said, and then bent over to tug his boot down and check. "Good as they ever have been. Thank you, Umi."

She shrugged. "It was Clef's spell and all, I just channelled it - a bolt of lightning darting into the bathroom would have been a bit obvious. He'll find a way of quietly sorting Eagle out, too."

Geo shook his head one last time, staring at her. "I've never heard of anything like it. You two make a formidable team, especially now you're growing this close."

"...Is that meant to be a _comment_ of some sort?" She asked dubiously, heading for the door.

"Why, would it be fair to make one?"

"..." She didn't know quite how to respond to that. If he'd been teasing, it would have been one thing, but Geo just seemed quietly serious. She ignored it instead, and stepped back into the main room and the less troubling conversation.

Clef looked up, and for the moment he wasn't visible to Eagle, there was a smirk hinted at by his eyes which Umi had to fight not to mirror. "Ah, here we are. I'll get some of this paper out of the way."

She wanted to reach out and hold on to him, to take his hand again as she had in the Hall. Damn Geo, anyway, because now she was noticing the impulse. She settled for putting the drinks down in the space he cleared and sitting beside him, not quite close enough to touch. "We're all getting the same. No caffeine for anyone." And a better night's sleep to stop a repeat of last night's fiercely changing moods, she hoped. Though with Brooke gone, with Eagle sat whole on the sofa and a half day until the visions of war she was certain were spoiling Clef's sleep would be put to rest – he was smiling, next to her. A little smile, a quirk of the lips she probably wouldn't have spotted before, and she brightened every time she glanced across.

Though the news Eagle had for them was not all good, and after the drinks were gone and their duties as hosts done, the mood sobered. "Of the mages from Cephiro, we only know the whereabouts of five, and two of those did not survive the rising." Eagle said, holding his gaze steadily on Clef like it would be a dishonour to their memory if he did not face it head on.

"The others reportedly escaped. Our people are looking for them, but the rising created a lot of chaos among the population, and there are wounded civilians, damaged roads and buildings to be seen to, as well as peacekeeping and beginning the investigation. The coup took out several key members of the Council, and others were heavily involved in it – at the moment there are just enough elected members to stand as an emergency council, which means I have a limited script as either Commander or Representative, but talking with you was one of them. There is a general agreement that we should keep the link in place, and we're prepared to negotiate with Cephiro to do so. I know that Autozam becoming near sentient was not part of the plan…"

Clef sighed. "No. Cephiro isn't as… awake, as that, though she has a kind of will, it's not exactly _aware_ in the same way. It's more a united sense of all the people creating her than an individual personality. I don't think there is any danger to the link at the moment, but if Autozam begins to influence Cephiro – to destabilise her – I will sever it without hesitation. Until then, I see no need to renegotiate the terms of the agreement. Not yet, anyway. I need to know as soon as you find the rest of our people, and I'll need to get a new team into Autozam as soon as possible. You've offered those there transportation off world?"

"As in the agreement if events should become dangerous, yes. All three refused. They helped secure the link when it was attacked, before and after Autozam took offence, and they're keeping the connection mostly stable for now… I had a report for you somewhere. Geo? Do you know-"

Geo huffed. "Here." He dug in his pockets and pulled out a bag of sweets, three data crystals, and finally a small green gemstone which glowed inside, and lit up when Eagle took it and dropped it onto Clef's palm. Clef flicked his hand over, and it vanished into his ring.

"Thank you. I'll review it before I see you tomorrow."

"How soon can you have a new team ready? Do they need to be assigned by a council meeting, or just you? I don't know how far the reformat of Cephiro has got the past few months."

"No, no – they're _mages_, have to be for this work, I can sign them off. Which means that Ascot can get them moving, as long as I call him to pass on the orders. Say twelve hours or so? They will need transportation…"

"The ASX is around eighteen hours out from Cephiro, it's been called in from a long patrol. I can have them call for your people as they come through. The ASX has a team of road-engineers, for doing long-distance work, so they should make it to Autozam within two days from there." Eagle said, checking a list on his own datapad. The one taken from Brooke hung at his side still.

"Good, that should work. Princess Tatra and ChangAn are due to arrive in a few moments now. Umi, would you mind calling Cephiro while I get people settled?" Clef asked. "Get Ascot on the line, and ask him to find the list of people we considered for the project. It might take a while. I can't remember where I put it. It's somewhere in my study, but with all the work for the Academy…"

Umi pulled a face, thinking of how busy (and cranky) Clef had been that week before they came. "On it. Maybe the others will be about to chat with while he searches."

"Yes – and able to see for themselves that Eagle is fine. I don't think Lantis would appreciate it if we forgot to let him know…"

"Ah. Yes. That too."

oOo

"Just hold this down and think of Cephiro," Clef had said, but of course it wasn't that simple. After the third time she'd convinced the Comm. to do _something_ only to have the screen flash to a view of _herself _- if it was just Clef and herself in the room, she'd have blasted the thing by now and be damned with the consequences. Umi tried asking Selece what she was doing wrong, but he seemed to think it far too amusing to be helpful; the laughter welling up in the back of her mind was _not_ helping her feel any less violent.

Eagle had set a little domed machine projecting data above the table and Clef was too busy looking over it to notice her frustration, even when she glared at him. The Princess and ChangAn were both leant about it as well, and SangYung was taking a flurry of notes as ChangAn pointed out hints which might mean other lands being involved in the coup. Geo, though, spotted the look. He came over and sat by her side.

"May I help? I know these things are strange to you."

"_Please_." Umi was all thankfulness. "I'm trying to call Cephiro, but all I get are pictures of _me_. Gods and Clef might know how this thing works, but _I_ don't, and I can't work out what I'm doing wrong because I don't know what's _right._ Selece is no use, he's too busy _laughing_ at me to explain anything."

"...Ah." Umi thought she heard a laugh in Geo's voice too, but he kept a straight face. "I think I know the problem. I've had it as well: when Eagle was recovering in Cephiro and I was in charge of the NSX I had to get Zazu to put all the calls through to Autozam, because no matter what I did, I kept raising Cephiro instead."

A glance across the room showed her the Commander engaged in an amiable argument with Clef. Both men looked tired - she'd have said Clef looked the worst, but then she knew him a lot better - but neither of them were anywhere near the translucent exhaustion of Eagle's coma. (She noted, thankfully, the lazy curve of Clef's back as he leant into his chair. He was more relaxed than he'd been for days. If they kicked people out soon enough they might all get a decent night's sleep.)

"That's the thing about psy-interfaces." Geo continued, ruefully. "They aren't that good at picking apart related thoughts. I must have dragged your poor technician out of bed a dozen times before I gave up and got Zazu to do it."

"...I bet he teased you." She grinned up at him.

Geo grinned back. "Nah, I bribed him. Luckily I got Eagle and Autozam separated out within a few months, or we'd have been out of wine long before we got home - and then there'd have been a mutiny."

Umi looked back over at the others. "Clef was the first person we met in Cephiro. He saved us, told us... what he could, gave us magic and armour..."

"He's here _as_ the land, too. You've got plenty of reasons to think of the place where the mage is as Cephiro itself. Here, shift over for now and I'll call through for you. No need to disturb them."

Umi caught Geo's hand before it could hit the button. "How is he, Geo? Really, I mean - not just bruises and dinged ankles... Lantis will want to know. So will Hikaru. And the others, for that."

It took the man a while to sort his answer out. But when he gave it, she knew it would be honest, so Umi waited patiently. Geo was by far the most honest person in this room, after all. Except perhaps SangYung.

"He's... tired, and angry with himself that he didn't see this coming, see the corruption back home, but he's coping. No one's letting him drain himself the way he used to - the entire crew seems to have taken it as an extra duty: stop the Commander doing anything reckless; and there are many others throughout the military doing the same, but even without that... he..." Geo sighed, and the smile he turned to her then was wistful under the gladness. "Eagle takes more care with himself now. Whatever agreement they came to while he was with you, he's giving more worth to his own personal future, not just Autozam's."

He paused, and Umi didn't know what to say. It was a moment as awkward as some of the conversations she had (or didn't have, when she could help it) with Ascot. But Geo had more practice than either of them at moving on in a dignified way. His smile turned into something all gladness as something Clef said drew a laugh out of Eagle. "When Autozam woke up, it's like part of him did too. He's had more energy every day as the readings get stronger."

"You've got some good reasons there to... associate him with Autozam, I guess." She smiled. "Or maybe the other way around?"

"Perhaps." Geo said, and lay his hand down on the Comm before she could say anything else.

The technician was awake, and the Guardroom, when they got through, was lit by daylight and filled with Lantis and several guards manning the machines which tried to keep an eye on Cephiro's stability, among other things. (Technology Autozam helped develop in the years since the end of the Pillar System.) The guards had control of it because fluctuations usually meant monsters, either as cause or effect. Lantis looked up, then froze before he could say anything as Geo leaned into the frame.

"Good to see you, Lantis." Geo lifted a hand in greeting.

Eagle's voice rang out in the background of the room, and Lantis blinked. "You made it to the Assembly? Both of you are alright? And Autozam-"

"Yes."

Lantis sat still a moment longer, then stood. He was biting his lip, paler than usual with relief. "I will fetch the knights. Hikaru has been worrying."

"Hey!" Umi called, as he headed for the door. "Lantis – would you fetch Ascot as well? Or, no, don't fetch him, send him off to find the list of people they thought about for the Autozam link project. We need a second team to go. It's somewhere in Clef's study."

"…Ah. Very well." Lantis said, and vanished from the room. Umi frowned, and turned to Geo – who smiled down at her, and pointed at the other guards they could see.

"He's a very private person."

"…I'd forgotten they were there." Umi muttered.

With nothing else to do, she fetched herself a second drink and took a curious look at the diagram hovering over the table. She couldn't read any of the headings, so the lazy scrawl of the chart meant nothing to her; by the time she reached the Comm. again, Hikaru and Fuu were there to distract her from the irritation, Lantis looming in the background with his calm expression anchored back in place. "Eagle! Do you have a moment? There are some people here who'd like to see you're alive with their own eyes." She called, laughing, and stood back to watch as long-distance chaos erupted at Hikaru's energetic joy.

oOo

They flung everyone out of the room a while later – bowed them out politely, anyway – and relaxed. Clef even pulled his circlet off, rubbing at his head and ruffling his hair up before he settled to look over the report Eagle had given him. The stone wouldn't fit into the Comm, but he held it on the button meant for calling and rested his hand over it, and up came the data.

Umi had had enough of things she couldn't read for one day, and she was too tired to study. But she didn't want to go to bed and leave Clef working, either. He had to look over the report so he could pick the right people from Ascot's list to go out to Autozam tomorrow, so she couldn't bug him into sleeping either.

Left to her own devices she wandered about the room a few times, poking at the papers strewn about, and eventually settled on the sofa by the discarded circlet. She picked it up. It was a little heavier than she'd expected, but more flexible, the metal in it something like that in the straps of her ballgown, and as she stared at it her thoughts drifted about as far away from the current business as they could and still stay on the topic of Cephiro.

"Come to think of it" Umi said, tilting the circlet so light glinted on the smooth stones. "Come to think of it, I always wondered, but I never asked. Why didn't Mokona even _mention_ you, when he spoke about the candidates for the pillar? Even those who'd chosen not to take part were told why they'd chosen so. I know why Fuu and I didn't get a mention, but I wondered about you."

"You thought about it? Fuu and yourself, I mean, not me." Clef wasn't paying close attention, flicking through the screens of data.

"Well, yeah." Umi shifted in her seat. Only his inattention let her admit the next, quietly. "I wasn't quite... well, no, that's a lie. I was jealous of Hikaru, a little. Not at the time, but later. It's impossible to do anything but love _her_ - it's just, such a big thing, and Mokona ignored us until we were battering at him as hard as we could. But we - Fuu and I - we hadn't even considered it being us. Because we belonged to _Earth_, and our families, and all..." She glanced over, and caught a glimpse of his blue eyes watching her, but he looked away so easily she could pretend he'd only just glanced up. "...What about you?"

"I wasn't eligible." Clef said it perfectly absently, opening another file. "I couldn't have loved Cephiro-the-land alone over everything else, over my friends, my students. Even when one of them _became _the pillar, I still put Emeraude first instead of her duty. I'd never have thought of changing the system. I'd have chosen a Cephiro riddled with monsters and heading for disaster when Zagato was hurt, or died, or broke Emeraude's heart some other way. I told her so, the last time - and she sent me away. When it came to it, I'd have tried to find transports to take the rest of us away, and let Cephiro die."

"But... after that. When Emeraude wasn't... when the post was empty?"

"Can you imagine what would've happened if _I'd_ been pillar and something had, say, happened to Lantis? While he was in Autozam? Do you think I'd have concentrated on Cephiro and ignored that? What I could have taken her into... you _know_ my temper. Bad enough with the power I do have and the council rules wrapped about me while I'm here to stop me going too far. There is no restriction on the pillar."

"...Are you saying you'd have taken us to war with Autozam if Lantis broke his arm or something?" Umi asked, disbelief rich on her voice.

"I was thinking more if Eagle broke his heart. I'd have wanted to. At least for a moment. The pillar doesn't get to take those moments _back_." He shrugged, and it made Umi notice that his shoulders hunched a little even after he relaxed again. "Besides, I've never aimed to be some kind of hermit, and never found one single wish I was devoted too beyond all others. Instead I have a hundred for everyone I know. The pillar needs the conviction of that one bright wish, or the world will be torn a little every time their focus changes..."

"...You've thought about this a _lot_. Haven't you." Umi didn't mean to sound accusing, but did so anyway, and flinched.

"I never _planned_ to. It was just. Nightmares."

"You had... _nightmares_ about _being the pillar_?"

"Yes. Every night, for weeks in a row." His tone went wry. "Beginning the night Emeraude sent me away with my promise to help you and Mokona. I thought they were a reaction to everything which was happening, at the time, but after I learnt what Mokona was? I rather think I was being tested. It was a hole I was never shaped to fill. And thanks to you three no one else will ever need to be forced into it."

Umi flushed and looked away from the expression he shot at her _then_. "One more question." She rushed onwards. "Why did you collapse?"

"...When?" He looked startled when she chanced glancing across, that dangerous smile gone.

"Do you make a habit of it? When Mokona showed up with _wings_, you idiot."

"I've never fainted in front of _you_ at all, well, before the other day. How'm I supposed to know what stories people have been telling?" he grumbled, and Umi made a note to pester Lantis when they got back, for whatever he knew and wasn't offering. "I... had just started guessing what Mokona might really be. I might _also_ have just started trying to sense what I could of his presence when he went all... godly. It was rather more power than I was expecting in a rush." He stopped curtly, and rustled his papers loudly, turning to the list of potential mages. Like that would deter Umi.

"...So you mean you swooned because Mokona overwhelmed you with his awesomeness?"

"...Umi..."

"Swooned! Like a lady in a corset and a bonnet with a parasol and a fan! A _delicate flower_-"

"Umi!" She flapped her hands at him and subsided, giggling helplessly. It was the image of Clef dressed ready for one of those costume dramas that came out of Britain which did her in. Each time she managed to get hold of herself, she looked up, thought 'bonnet!', and doubled over again. "...I understood enough of that sentence to be glad I didn't understand the rest of it." He muttered, cheeks flushed darkly.

"I- I'm sorry, it's just the - the image - the - do you like lace?"

Clef refused to answer that, and proceeded to ignore her until she calmed down, the laughter fading. Eventually, her gaze went back to the circlet now hooked over one of her knees. "Is that why Mokona dissolved your old headband, Clef? He knew you wouldn't take the post, and it was some kind of a ...message? No, that makes no sense..."

"I think - and you've hit the bit _I_ wondered at most afterwards - Mokona knew something was about to really change. Whether Eagle or Hikaru won, Cephiro would be truly reborn - though into a long cold sleep if Eagle had got his way. There would have been no need for a Master Mage at all then. Whatever Hikaru did, the authority I had in Emeraude's Cephiro would be gone. She was always going to change the power structures about." Clef's voice dropped to a murmur, more for himself than her. "For a few minutes, I got to just be another worried Cephiran..." A moment, then he blinked and sat upright, with a strange sort of wriggle of his shoulders. "Then he created the post again under the new system, presumably with the notional consent of the people, so here I am still."

"Do you need that consent? I thought it was just being strongest mage under the pillar?"

"Mostly it had become that, but it's different with no Pillar to keep the role in check. You need rules so you can remove someone who can't adapt to it, or decides to abuse it. And rules there _are_, old ones, carried on even through the rebirth - Hikaru and you had no knowledge of the history and laws underwriting Cephiro, so they came through intact. You just changed the power and authority of the pillar itself, and things related directly to that - those of us who were appointed by her and the pillar before her. The pillar must have delegated more, I think, in the distant past. Looked after the _land_, and let the council and others sort out the people. And _that_ is the foundation we're building on with the council, and the reforms. Now, if you're out of questions, I've got to Comm Ascot and tell him these names before I get to sleep, so..."

"I'll be quiet. Thanks for humouring me." Umi said it sheepishly, and let him get on. She was beginning to yawn widely and slip sideways from the chair, so she found her nightclothes and wandered off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. That way at least she'd have nothing left to do but fall asleep when he had finished.

Before she started changing her clothes, she went to brush her teeth - and the water wouldn't come on. No matter what she did, how she turned the taps - after a full three minutes of panicked wondering whether she'd managed to forget some vital Assembly-specific part of the process she shook her head, screwed up her embarrassment, and called for help.

When Clef couldn't make the taps run either, they both stepped back in confusion - and in the same moment as he went to the bath, she went for the shower. No luck with either.

"A problem with the water system? I can always call some up, I guess, but I'm no good at small amounts."

Clef was frowning at the porcelain and metal. "You coped fine the other night, so far as I recall."

"What? Oh - the drink when you were ill. Your recall isn't that great, then - you can't have noticed the puddle splashed across the floor."

"They can isolate rooms if they need to do maintenance on the plumbing. Perhaps someone got the wrong room number?"

"That would be handy - _if_ they hadn't made the mistake. Or at least, not made it to us. Can they take out other things, too?"

Right on cue, the lights flickered and died. Umi jumped, and took two quick steps closer to Clef. Her heartbeat was beginning to thunder, adrenaline washing through her veins. She was reaching for his arm in the pitch black void when a soft glow began, a pinprick of light blooming between his palms until she could see the looming shadows of the fittings about them, and the frown on his face.

"This is wrong." He headed for the door, Umi staying close. "We need to get maintenance - and maybe security. It could well be someone trying to rattle us, which means there's probably someone else on Kuregu's staff who's working for someone they shouldn't-"

It all happened in the same instant. Clef opened the bathroom door, and the bedroom window shattered inwards, starlight glinting off shards of glass shooting through the air around the dark thing which had crashed through, a sharp flash of light breaking across the walls as the shield fell. Clef yelped, folding over. The sphere began to gleam with its own malevolent light, blinking in the scrap of forever it took for Umi to grab Clef's waist and drag him back.

It flashed again as it hit the carpet with a dull thud and rolled, and the next blink came quicker; Umi's chest tightened with fear and they flung their hands up, together, as the bomb exploded in a torrent of crimson light and heat, shot with a dark lightning she recognised, slamming into the barely-formed shield of their before them and eating it away, flinging them back across the room. Clef landed on her the moment she hit her head against the wall, but the pain was dull and far away compared to the inferno roaring at them and their hands were still held out against the onslaught.

Her magic was being eroded everywhere it touched that power. She had to keep throwing energy out, endlessly, draining herself in the space of three heartbeats and seeing the sharp blue-white of Clef's shield being eaten away with her own. She held onto him tighter, dragging in a desperate gasp of air.

Together they yelled, though the sound was lost in the roaring fire about them: the last thing they saw was the blue and white blurring into one sharp brightness, not two spells working together, but one spell with two sources. But it was only half done before the pain in their heads and the burning ache of empty lungs was too much, and then they knew nothing at all.

oOo

end chapter fourteen

oOo

THIS IS IN NO WAY THE END. Chapter fifteen next weekend! Barring the collapse of the internet in my village, anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

Firstly, to Haruka3 – I CAN TOTALLY BE BRIBED BY FANART! Thank you so much! :D And to the other reviewers who I couldn't pm back!

And, well, to everyone who has stuck with me for this many words. I didn't realise that I went past 100,000 words posted a couple of chapters ago – I still can hardly believe that anyone at all has read all of them. XD

This chapter was… well, it certainly kept me busy. I rewrote the middle a half a dozen times, and my poor beta was awesome at staying up to ridiculous hours debating superfluous moments of Geo (sorry, Geo!) and other problems – such as working out where it should _end_. It's rather long again… but hopefully you'll enjoy it!

(All Clef's magic in this and any other chapters – unless I did something I can't remember at the beginning – are car names, in the spirit of Cephiro. Umi's spells are all Japanese.)

~down

oOo

Chapter Fifteen : In Suspension

oOo

Slowly, achingly, Umi came to.

It took several long sliding moments before she realised that was what had happened – that the pain cutting through her meant she was alive. That being alive was important.

Her body was numb then aching by turn, her nerves on a spin cycle – tumble twist _pause_, over and over. The back of her head was most insistent. It lay on a hard surface which had not greeted it gracefully, radiating breath-stealing pain.

Probably, she should try to move.

The thought alone was too difficult to really consider.

Her chest was _hollow_, a vast trembling emptiness, alien sensation creeping under her ribs. That had woken her, she understood, gradually.

Along her front was not pain so much as a heaviness. A weight not her own tangled with her limbs. Another's heart beat under the curl of her arms, and Umi hadn't known she was afraid until relief replaced it. Her fingers curled a fraction tighter on his side.

Clef's breath came soft but steady against her neck, and nothing moved beyond them to threaten that. Anything else could wait for later. They were alive: things were alright.

She slept.

oOo

Everything was not alright.

Umi woke up in gradual stages to the utter wreckage that had been their suite. Wrenching her eyes open she levered herself up a little way to look about. The world seemed to pulse, spinning about her until she swayed heavily back into the wall and lay there, staring. Clef stirred, too, and pushed himself away from her shoulder. She winced when he did at the stab of pain. It had to be at least an hour after the blaze, given the slow smouldering patchiness of the room about them and the inferno she remembered.

The only part of the room not blackened by ash or the charred scars which gashed the carpet was a circle about the two of them, across the floor and up the wall; a thick line scored into both surfaces leaving a dent filled with water, chips of ice still slowly melting within it. Even that was scattered with debris from the first blast. The remnants of their shield, but…

"How did we survive?" She asked, her voice quiet but still too loud in the echoing silence of the room. "How on Earth did that shield hold?"

"On Earth, it wouldn't have." Clef pointed out, gingerly rising to his knees and putting one hand out to touch the line. "I… don't know. We shouldn't have." His voice was as numb as Umi felt, like her emotions had been deafened along with her senses by the blast. His fingers dragged through the shallow line of water, making one chip of ice swirl. "That was…"

"It was eating our magic." She shuddered.

Clef looked back at her, his eyes dark. "It would have done more than that, if it had touched us. It was a negation bomb. They're… well, they're illegal even in _war_. Bad technology melded with worse magic." Clef was pale, looking about the place, his voice shaken and quiet. "It was calculated to tear our magic apart."

"…To tear our wills apart?"

He nodded. "The fire should have done the rest." He pulled back and leant on the wall next to her, every movement ponderous and aching. "It was exactly matched to our magic. To _both _of us."

"That last spell." Umi said, slowly. "If it was set to fight each of us individually… the shields combined into one, they were doing it when I passed out. Your shield and my attempt at one, anyway. Was that… did that change the magic enough to stop it being eroded?"

"It must have done." Clef said, slumping closer. "But, spirits, the odds against it…" He dropped his head back and gazed up at the ceiling. "There must have been a shield held about the room, too. Pressed up against mine, in the walls and the floor, or it wouldn't have stopped there. It broke _my_ shield just by touching it, before it even lit up. But we were awake, and thought the same thing at the same moment, and so…"

"…They must think we're dead. The one who did this. Or they'd have come to make sure." Exhaustion was dragging at Umi again, muting the horror she should have been feeling. "Whoever they are."

"Our real assassin." Clef's head came sideways until it rested on her own, and she leant against him too, felt the way he shook when he took a deep breath. "We need to call the manager and get somewhere safe. And get some rest. I haven't felt this bad in years."

"Come on, then." Umi said.

Neither of them moved for a long, long moment.

When Clef did sit up, he jostled her lightly, and the back of Umi's head sent a warning pulse down her spine: do _not_ do that again. Or Else. Umi winced, and Clef twisted back to her, reaching out for the back of her head. She shied away from the touch. "Don't – it's alright, Clef, just –"

He moved quicker than she could, and the faint touch of his fingers had pain flaring up again, stuttering along her nerves, destroying the concentration she'd pulled together. Umi swayed forwards until Clef caught her, waited it out with gritted teeth.

"…That was _not fine_." Clef said, his voice down to a low snarl. "Idiot girl, you _tell me_ about a _head injury_ immediately! Didn't we have a conversation like this the other day? I was on the other side of it, but I _distinctly remember_ a conversation about _telling people when you're hurt_."

"It nearly didn't hurt when I didn't think about it." She muttered into his dust-flavoured mantle. "'sides. Exploded room was distracting."

"Shut up. Just – shut up, idiot, let me do something about this."

Clef's hand cradled the back of her head so delicately, the tips of his fingers pressing through her hair to touch skin, and she sincerely hoped he had enough energy for the spell because her head was spinning more, not less, a nauseating twirl about her.

The healing didn't start with the usual abruptness. It was slow and careful, a quiet tingle, the feeling of a well-rubbed balloon raising the hairs on the back of her arm, but going deep. Below skin, below bone, and building all the time. Soft layers of sensation which swallowed down her mind just as thoroughly as the pain had, but a hundred times slower.

At least it faded quicker. Clef was breathing hard, pulse thumping away where her ear pressed to his neck, and Umi straightened tentatively, pulled away, and the world remained solid. A faint ache like a five-day bruise remained at the back of her head, but that was all.

The rest of her was still a catalogue of minor injuries. "Clef?" She said, quietly. "Clef, are you…"

"Fine, I'm – don't look at me like that, you're the one who was _bleeding still inside_." He said, shakily, and she noticed the blood on his hands. Her blood. "I stopped that. I'm just worn out. Don't have the concentration left to deal with anything less life threatening."

Umi started. Had it really been – but the words rang true with the shake in Clef's voice. She was still frozen when he pushed himself further upright and grabbed one of the ragged corners of his mantle, tore a section off and wet it in the thin channel of water. Clef wiped the worst of the blood from her hair, having to pull a little on the places where it had matted and dried, eventually giving in and pulling it back into a hasty tail tied with another strip of cloth from his battered clothes. All the time she said nothing, numbness firmly back in place.

"There. Not brilliant, but it looks less worrying." Clef sighed, and returned to his seat in front of her. "We're going to have to see people soon. I don't want them trying to drag you away to a Healer."

"Neither of us look all that… pristine." Umi managed, looking down at the tears in her own outfit, feeling the bruises down her back.

"No, but we don't look half dead, either." Clef stood, his knees cracking loudly as he did. He reached down a hand for her. "The rest we can sort out after some sleep. I promise."

oOo

The main room, when they clattered and stumbled through the wreckage which had once been a door – partly a door, partly two beds, wardrobes, clothes, a sofa and chairs, table – was sickeningly like the black-and-white footage of places bombed out in the war. Umi swayed, found Clef's hand on her elbow and leant into the touch until she could keep her feet.

There was a silent alarm summons-button hidden in the options in the map, still safe in Umi's gauntlet. It went to the hotel manager, rather than to Kuregu, as the maps were Hotel property. She poked through the destruction while they waited, lifting one what was left of one of the chairs, and trying to stand it upright. It had no back or arms left, and only charred wires across the seat, but still had all four legs. Until the moment she let go, when two of them slowly crumbled away and it toppled in a majestic cloud of ash to the floor.

Under the thick layer of cinders was debris scattered by the first blast of power, before the fire had set in. Bits of charred cloth and foam lay here and there, what was left of the sheets, mattresses, a dressing gown. The junk lay in patterns showing the way it had been blasted away from the centre of the room, struck the shielding in the walls, rebounding.

When a gentle knock sounded at the door, they both moved. Umi was quicker by virtue of being a half step closer to start. She got a hand on the door, then Clef grabbed it too, fingers over hers, standing so close that her hair caught on his clothes when she twisted back to look at him.

"Your sword is our best defence at the moment. You can't use it if you're holding the door."

"I- yes." She stuttered, and stepped aside, drawing her blade automatically. When he opened the door, she half expected to see Kuregu anyway, but the manager was hovering with a lone hotel guard at his shoulder. He took one step inside and nearly stumbled back out.

"My word... what happened here?" He said, blinking furiously as he placed his feet carefully in the clutter. He flapped a frantic hand at the Guard. "You - go and fetch Representative Kuregu. This is too important to wait until morning -"

"Hang on a moment, if you please." Umi said, and Clef shut the door with them all inside. The Manager turned a frightened look on her sword, and she sighed, and dismissed it, watching the Guard until he lowered his hand from where it had been hovering over his holster.

Clef dragged their attention away from her. "Someone just tried to get rid of my companion and I. They hopefully think they succeeded. We don't want to let them know otherwise until we want to - which waking Kuregu would do. While they think we're dead, we can rest without fear of more attacks and control how they find out we're alive."

"I... yes, I see. But, wouldn't waking me also...?"

"I do not think so. They're going to be worried about people searching for them - Kuregu is in charge of security, there's no way of conducting any search without him. No danger if only you find out. There will be no trace left which can't keep until morning."

"Then, what do you want me to do?" The manager asked, voice querulous, still bewildered by the chaos about them. Umi was distantly sympathetic – this was his hotel with a sudden hole in it, a room which would need a lot of tending before it became usable again.

"If you could find us a spare room to move to…"

"Yes, yes, of course - though there aren't any twin rooms left at all, yours was the last available when it was booked. I have several singles on the same corridor as each other -"

"No." Clef and Umi said together. The manager nodded, unsurprised.

"Then there are a few doubles left. I'll have one prepared immediately." He set about sending the guard off, with instructions not to mention who the room was for - though, with an eye to the remnant of the kettle, split in half, he said to make sure tea equipment was provided as well as all the usual things.

Within quarter of an hour they were ushered through the empty corridors and into the new room, across the building from their old one, and practically identical beyond the change of bed. They startled one final maid just setting the kettle in place - she was sworn to secrecy for the night as well, and then they were alone. Umi flopped down on one of the sofas, and rubbed at her aching head. "All my clothes were in the wardrobe. I've nothing but the robes I'm wearing and my armour - I don't want to sleep in either."

Clef paused beside her to rest a heavy hand on her shoulder. "There should be a spare change of night things in the top of each wardrobe. Like the bathrobes, and the toiletries, they're complimentary - but one set for everyone, so not normally particularly nice. I need to shield the room now, so if you'd not go rummaging for a moment..."

She looked up at him sharply, neck aching in protest. "Will that be alright? After that bomb – that negator, or whatever it was... besides, they know how to break it."

"But they aren't the only possible threat. It should at least slow them down, and keeping a shield up when I'm exhausted is something I have practise at." His lips twitched as he said it, and Umi rolled her eyes, reached out to swat him on the leg before she thought better of it. They were bruised enough already. He just leant harder on her shoulder. "I'm certainly not going to leave us without it. We slept long enough that I should be fine for this, but no distractions would be a help."

Umi subsided into the cushions and watched him raise his hands. She wanted the shield to be up as much as he did, even though the bomb had made nothing of it. Light grew slowly on his hands, and poured out across the floor of the room, pooling unevenly and spreading in fits and starts until it reached the base of the walls, and began to climb. She could hear Clef breathing hard, his eyes screwed shut, and willed the light onwards. It crept onwards - she thought it was a little faster, but couldn't be sure, holding her breath and trying not to even _move_, and then it really _was_ going faster, and all in a rush it sloshed across the roof and became the thick plane of light she remembered before fading back into the plaster.

Clef's eyes opened, and he leant heavily on the back of the sofa as he drew in shuddering breaths. Umi knelt up so she could coax him down onto the sofa too, and he dropped his head right back against it, chest heaving. "Well." He said, when he managed to catch his breath. "That was harder than I thought. Sorry, Umi. I shouldn't have joked about it. I cursed myself, obviously."

"Clef…"

He waved off the concern, eyes focusing on her again. "I just… I don't understand how they knew about _you_ so well. The attacks earlier, poking at my shield, I thought they were trying to get that information about me. To make something so well aimed… I think they were testing information they already had, instead. This was their big plan. This was always their plan. But how they knew about you…"

He wasn't going to leave that alone, but they were too _tired_ for anything more. Too shaken to think straight. She frowned at him. "I haven't the energy to be intrigued. Let's think about it tomorrow, okay? We need to _rest_ now."

Umi went to find these 'one size only' night things. If they were meant to fit someone shaped like LaFarga _and_ someone like herself, they had to be interesting... or, as it turned out, involve a lot of draw-strings. She wandered back to Clef and dropped his set next to him. The bed looked so welcoming, clean and neatly made… Umi stared at it longingly across the room, but she was so dirty…

Clef must have had the same thought. "you shower first. If we sleep like this, the staff will probably turn against us forever. I doubt chemical soot comes out of white sheets easily."

"…Not sure it wouldn't be worth it." She said.

"_And_ you'd have to wake up earlier tomorrow to shower then. 'Less you want to walk into the Hall looking like you narrowly escaped a bonfire…"

Umi hit him loosely on the shoulder, bruises be damned.

It took longer to drag a comb through her newly-clean hair than it had to wash, though she sat in the bed to do so, dripping water on the pillow from the damp snarls. By the time she'd finished her arms were aching, her eyes wouldn't stay open, and there was nothing left in her with energy to be embarrassed by Clef clambering into the bed beside her. Instead she let her arm unfold across the space between them, resting on the warmth of his back, and fell asleep reassured by it.

oOo

Umi woke up when a slash of light fell over the pillows, and Clef nearly smothered her dragging the duvet over his head to escape it.

Her body was stiff through, as she found when she tried to pull some of the duvet back over her cold legs, and had to stop half way through curling up to wince. She hadn't slept deeply, for all that she'd been exhausted, which meant there was only a subdued shock at finding Clef's back curved away from her below the covers, or the strange dissonance between the room she woke in and the one she'd become used to. Two sofas, instead of a three-piece suite. The door to the bathroom on the other side of the room, the desk and Comm. likewise switched. And, of course, only one bed.

Neither of them had moved much as they slept. If this had been some kind of romance story, she'd have woken up with his arms about her, she thought. Then she realised what she was doing, shook her head, and looked to the clock beside her.

It was close to the time they had to get up, and she was too tense to fall asleep again. She pushed herself up off the mattress and stretched carefully, running through her fencing warm-up barefoot on the carpet, trying to ignore the odd itch deep in her chest.

(She didn't know what it was. The space where her magic had been stored, or something? They'd both wiped themselves out last night. She didn't quite dare poke too closely. If it were something else - she'd had enough drama for the week, she didn't need to know if she'd inhaled mildly poisonous dust from the bomb or something. She was still alive, it couldn't be that bad, and she had faith that Fuu or Clef would find some way of healing pretty much anything.)

She gave up after a few minutes, her back aching too persistently to be ignored, and decided to make tea instead. Standing in front of the kettle she stared idly at the wall as she waited for it to boil: the helpful girl the night before had only brought them one type of tea, so there was nothing to poke through and choose from, but Umi'd happily trade less nice tea for the creamer and sugar that she'd also brought. The wall here was a slightly different tone from that of the room before, which was bemusing -

- no, no, wait -

There was something very very wrong with the plain cream paint that faced her, and Umi snapped alert as she realised what it was."Clef! Clef - wake _up!_ The shield's gone!"

He came alert slowly then in a rush under her hands as she shook him, nearly crashing into her as he bolted upright and stared about. Light flickered fitfully about his hands for a moment, then he closed his eyes and hissed slightly, rubbing his forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"Headrush." He said, and rubbed his eyes one last time before glaring at the walls. "The shield's gone."

"That's what I _said_." Umi muttered.

"Must have faded out while I was asleep, damn it. I don't think it was attacked." He rubbed his head again and yawned helplessly. There was a thin cut across his left cheek, stark against his skin, as were the shadows under his eyes. "Spirits, that hasn't happened to me for _decades_…"

Before she could ask if he was alright, he held his hands out and closed his eyes, light beginning to flicker about his fingers. She kept quiet, watching. Growing increasingly worried, as the light flashed and sparked and didn't swell out in a solid form as it should have done, as it had before. Clef hissed. "There's something… else." He muttered, the shield still not coalescing. "In my _magic_. Something not… wanting to listen? Cephiro and Autozam and-"

His eyes flew open, dark in shock with only the thinnest ring of blue left, and his fear slammed into Umi like a hammer to the chest; she gripped the bedpost and held on as the world swayed around her, his eyes the only steady point but so painful to look at…

"Something not _mine_." He choked out, and he rushed to cup his hands in the space between them, called forth raw magic, elemental and unshaped. Lightning flickered and snapped about his fingers, sparks darting out to run across his skin; a fizzling, round tangle of power.

And all through it wound a thin ribbon of water, sometimes merging with it, sometimes darting away and pulling the lightning along for the ride.

Umi stared. Her chest itched under the steady pulse of Clef's fear which she was _actually feeling in her chest_, and a growing sense of shock; it was a tug on the warmth of her magic, and _she_ was not the one calling it forth. "…What…" She stumbled forwards a pace to collapse on the end of the bed.

"You." Clef stared at the tangle in his hands, then at her, the stark blue-white of the magic robbing all colour from his face. "It's you."

oOo

Magic flared out as they both reached for it in alarm. The ball in Clef's hands crashed up over them, twisting with the power Umi called into a single raging storm as it tried to obey them both at once, fighting itself. As they stared, a vortex of water blasted into place, driving a circle about them both, lightning caught within it and flashing out to leave charred marks on the swiftly-dampened carpet, on the walls. The air howled at the abuse, a deep rattling thrum of pressure battering Umi right down to bone.

It drew power from her shock, from Clef's fear and the confusion marring both of them; he yelled something she couldn't hear over the maelstrom. She fought to keep the magic from spiraling out further as it battled to form itself to two wills at once, failed, and began to lash back at them – stinging rain lashed across them, and she barely ducked under a snarl of lightning.

Clef grabbed her hands. Umi flinched back, but he didn't let go; pale but determined and lit by the jarring crack of electricity. His thoughts crashed into her with no spell as middleman, almost as painful as the confused roar of power in her chest.

/_Umi! We have to shield our minds – it's feeding on us. We have to cut it off or it'll break both of us!_/

/_How?_/ She wailed, head and heart both pounding.

/_Like this!_/

Clef slammed the knowledge she needed into her head without ceremony. Umi nearly blacked out, nerves strained to the point of overloading – but she was _Ryuuzaki Umi_ and like _hell_ would her own magic take her down!

Like he'd shown her, she forced her will into visualizing a wall, without calling the heat of magic into it, and wrapped it about herself.

The pain and the noise faded to a low grumble of sensation itching at the back of her neck, about the corners of her mind and in the pit of her stomach, and the air in the room slowly stilled, lightning and water both spinning slower and finally fading away, until the only sound was their ragged breathing.

Gingerly she felt for her power. Just to feel it, not try to use it. It churned about inside her, still riled up, but confined. It felt odd. There was something – there was the crack of that lightning, distracting and disturbing, but something more, too-

Or less. Missing. "Clef -" Umi whispered, eyes flying open as she realised what was wrong. What _else_ was wrong. "Clef, I can't feel Selece - I can't - what's happened?" She began to shake, staring up at him. "I can feel you, but not him! Has he left me? Am I still a Magic Knight? Gods, what did I do? Is this because of the magic - or because I failed to protect you? It - where's he gone? Why can't I-" Tears started from her eyes again, as she searched and searched the deep connection which simply wasn't _there_.

"Umi," Clef said eyes widening, leaning forwards across the bed, "Umi! Calm down!" But she couldn't stop the panicked rush of thoughts. Years she'd lived with him tucked into a corner of herself, familiar and comforting, strange secret friend. If he was gone - if she wasn't the Knight of Water, what place could she have in Cephiro? Would she have to leave - would she ever be able to get _back?_

"Umi." Clef's hands lay on her cheeks, making her look up at him. "Summon your sword. Hear me? Summon your sword! Your armour!"

She swallowed hard and drew her sword, wishing as hard as she could, hands shaking. As the blade grew into her hand, the familiar swirl of her battle-armour appeared about her. She looked down at herself: there was nothing different that she could see, nothing out of place. But did that mean?

"Look at me, Umi." Clef commanded, and she did so, one tear slipping bewildered down her cheek to be brushed away by his thumb. "If you weren't the Knight of Water, you wouldn't be able to summon either of those. Cephiro wouldn't let you, and Cephiro is still there or you'd have no magic at all." He looked straight into her eyes, and she had to believe him. She would have felt a lie.

"But then, what-" a new thought struck, just as horrible. "Has anything happened to _him?_ Clef, what if Selece needs help? What-"

"He's fine, Umi - I'm certain he's fine. The Mashin are a bit further away from us than merely Cephiro, remember? I think that the way he recognises you is through your power - and that's been so stirred up by last night it's swirling like a tempest, with shreds of _me_ caught in it. It'll take time to settle. Maybe a day or two, before the pattern of it settles, but as soon as it does, he'll find you again. I'm sure of it."

"...Really?" She whispered, relief making her shake harder. "I'm still..."

"You can never _stop_ being the Knight of Water, Umi." Clef said, wry. "Even if Selece could no longer come to your aid. Even if that happened, you have your own power: you will always be a mage of Cephiro. The natural laws of Earth may cancel out your powers when you're back there, but they don't take it _away_. Unless you reject it, you are _always_ going to belong to us, now."

"...Thank goodness." She said, and pushed forwards to hug Clef, hard, her armour fading back in a stream of light, leaving her in the softer version she had worn to come here. If she held on hard enough, she could pretend that the shake was from the strain on her muscles, not trembling relief. Clef wrapped his arms about her, pulling her forwards until their knees pressed together on the damp sheets. "Sorry for making a fuss." She muttered.

"Don't be."

Long careful moments passed before he drew back, and they were mostly themselves. When Umi was breathing steadily, she looked up at him, and whispered "How is this possible? What happened?"

"That's – when we cast that last spell, the one which joined, we wanted the exact same thing at the exact same moment, with all our strength. The spells joined because they were compatible types. Lightning can run through water, after all. In the confusion, wanting the same thing so much… the tangle ran back through the spell and into _us_. It's a bond. Tying us together. A little of my power tied into yours, and yours in mine." Clef said, voice emotionless, looking about the dishevelled room.

"Oh." Umi stared at him. "…How long's it going to last?" She asked, warily. She could feel – not quite his thoughts, not with both of them shielded off from the magic knotting them together, but a low mutter of his emotions, and right now she had no word to describe them.

He laughed, the sound choked, not happy. "It's a _bond_, Umi! It isn't going to just _vanish_."

"Can we break it?" There was a flare of fear at those words, so bright she wasn't even surprised to see sparks crawl across his hands, though the flecks of ice were new. "…You don't _want_ to break it? Clef – you're in my _head!_"

"I – no, Umi – oh, drat this stuff." He shook his hands until the magic vanished and he could rub his face with them. "It shouldn't be so immediate for long. Our magic's all irritated. From what I've read, I think things like this, there's a low level empathy but it should narrow down to something shields can block entirely. Not too different from what you have with Selece, but he's a _God_, he has more control over this kind of thing-"

She relaxed a little as he began to explain, even if he was mangling the thoughts somewhat; Clef explaining magic was a universal constant. Nothing could be too wrong if he was doing so. "Do we need to do that, then? Unmake this?"

"No, we need to _not – _Umi, making a bond like this has completely unbalanced our magic. I've no idea what would happen if we tried to break it immediately, but it could _not_ be good. We're vulnerable enough as it is – none of our spells are going to work as they should until we get control again. To try it without even another mage to cast a healing if things go wrong –"

"Right. Right, then. So we're living like this until we get back to Cephiro, at least. Still, if you've read about it, that means this is normal. Yeah? I've not heard about it, but there's so much I don't know about Cephiro yet…"

Clef bit down on another laugh, running closer to hysterical. "It's not normal! It's not even written about a lot, not beyond – beyond the kind of rose-tinted romances they read in places without magic, where everything ends in blue skies, satin sheets and eternal happiness! People don't _talk_ about bonds, Umi, because they're _rare_ and _strange_ and _private!_ Something between _partners_."

Between lovers, she translated, and the growing blush on his face made more sense; her own joined it.

"There's an emotional component. That's what holds it together. You have to be… close. It's so intimate, and, I'm not…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "As the master mage, I am not meant to let someone else have control of my power. You could reach through and break down any spell I set up, reach into my connection with Cephiro. Even accidentally, though we seem to have avoided that so far and it would have happened just now, I would think, if it was going to. We're breaking so many laws right now. Ones I wasn't even planning to _change_; I never thought that I'd be… well." He shook his head and stopped himself.

She nodded slowly. "So we have to keep it a secret too. That… could be difficult." Thinking of the way it was going to mess up their magic.

"From everyone. Not even Lantis and LaFarga – it would be their duty to tell the Council, and I'm not putting that choice on anyone's shoulders. There's nothing they can do, anyway."

"…I'm sorry, Clef."

"What?" His head snapped up to meet her eyes for the first time since the discussion had started, confusion slipping out from his thoughts to hers. "Why – no, this isn't your fault, Umi. It's not even _bad_. It saved our lives, last night. And it's not exactly… unpleasant. We'll just have to get on with things, and work it out as we go. Inconvenient, but…"

He was distracted from his worrying by reassuring her. Accidental, but handy. "Inconvenient, hah. It's royally messed up our magic _and_ cut me off from Selece – and it's had us panicking for so long we're about to be late to breakfast."

"As to that, I don't think we should go."

"All those times you insisted we go out to eat and be badgered in public, and a little explosion changes your mind?"

Clef looked away quickly, but she still spotted his grin. "If we go down now, we lose the impact we could have walking in when our attacker is smugly assuming their plan worked. They might give themselves away-" he ignored the skeptical noise she made "-and if we burst in late and roll straight through any objections, maybe we can stop anyone hijacking the danger we're in to sway people back to the Army side; that has to be their plan."

"A tactically dramatic entrance? Okay. I'm keeping my armour on today, then." Not that she had much option. "But, Clef - what are you going to _wear_?" Umi asked, focusing on his baggy pyjamas.

"Oh, I should be fine by today. Tomorrow might be interesting, but I keep a spare set." He reached aside to pat his ring where he'd dropped it on the nightstand, and pulled a face at the charcoal smudge it left on his finger. His coronet lay beside it, not quite as bad but still noticeably dirty. "...Spirits, that's going to be a pain to clean by hand." he muttered, looking at the near filigree of the metal.

Umi sighed, but reached out with some relief for a problem she could fix. "Hand it over. Spoilt mage, using magic for everything... you see to breakfast and I'll sort these out. " He hesitated, and Umi realised he was reluctant to use the Comm. undressed, though she didn't know if she'd read it in his expression or through the bond. "Or find something else to do with yourself for a minute or two."

"...One of us needs to get _some_ kind of grip on our magic, or we won't be able to eat anything." He said, mulling it over.

"So get a glass of water and practise testing for poison with that."

"You don't mind?"

She frowned. "As long as you don't get in the way. You're the Master Mage, you've a better chance of taming it than I do."

"No, I meant - I'll have to use _your_ magic, too. It... doesn't seem polite, to do so without asking."

"What choice do you have? Or I, for that. Besides. The bond took, didn't it, when it might just have been one spell. I think that's probably all the proof of consent you need, Clef." She took herself into the bathroom before he could respond to that.

oOo

Clef took a glass of water from the sink and retreated to the sitting room to try the poison-detecting spell on it. Even with clean water, the spell should report back to him - the eruption of harmful particles was more a side-effect than the purpose of the exercise, though the strength of the reaction was a measure of the impact it might have. The real point was the feeling it reflected back; a coolness like drinking water only just melted for something clean, and a harsh bite for something contaminated that always reminded him of the spiced, alcoholic drink Caldina liked on cool evenings.

He sat down and faced the glass, nervous like he'd not been for _centuries_ faced with any kind of magic. This was all so - it was wrong. It should be wrong, he shouldn't _like_ having that little strand of her tying him up like this. It shouldn't even have been able to _happen_ -

_Panicking is not going to make breakfast any more edible. If it didn't feel good to people, no one would ever bother with this kind of thing anyway, and there's nothing you can do about it now either way._

One thing at a time - and the current thing was trying to get this spell working. He pushed everything else aside and focused on the glass. Normally he wouldn't bother with saying the word for this - all things considered, he was using every tool he had today. He felt for his power, caught hold of it, trying to ignore the odd feeling from touching hers as well, and focused on what he wanted to do. The word still came to him, same as always. "Atrai!"

A glimmer of light flickered into the glass, extra reflections where there was nothing to cast them, and for a moment everything went as it should have. He relaxed a little - perhaps this wasn't going to be so much of a problem as he'd imagined?

Then, when it should have been withdrawing back to him, the magic curled back - and stopped, torn in two directions. Umi's power fought to return straight to her, snarled up about his own, and the water bubbled then boiled up, spilling across the table, spitting hot droplets back far enough to hit his cheek. Clef yelped and cut the spell.

When the water cooled, the glass was half empty, and he had felt nothing.

_...Damn._

oOo

Five minutes later Clef came back into the bathroom, refilling the glass and setting it in the bottom of the bath, water splashed across his too-long sleeves. "I think we might both need to be concentrating on it." He said, looking abashed.

"I don't know that spell." She pointed out, rubbing at the largest stone on the coronet. "Your ring's clean, by the way."

"Thanks. I'll put it on when I'm less likely to get soaked in a few moments, it always rubs if it gets damp. I don't think you need to be casting the spell, just... if you want it to work _for me_, the magic might be more co-operative?"

She'd never heard him sound so uncertain about magic before, and felt guilty again, tucked the feeling away where she hoped he couldn't hear it. This had to be so disturbing, losing control. She held back the retort which leapt to mind and shrugged instead. "Okay. I'll pay attention."

"Thank you."

He raised one hand to the glass, and she felt the thin pull on her magic again, like a tickle below her breastbone. For a moment there was a faint light glimmering in the water, then it flickered brighter and the water swirled about the glass, then frothed up in a boil, shooting out of the glass to splash down on the bath, the tiled wall, even as far as the floor.

Clef's sleeves were completely sodden now. He dropped his head to rest on them anyway. Umi left the sink and walked over, patted him carefully on the shoulder. "Hey, don't give up. That started off right."

"It didn't _end_ right." His voice was bleak. "It just... took off."

"We can try again. Your students don't get their spells right first time, do they?"

"_You_ three mostly did." He pointed out. He was leaning into her side, little by little.

"Only while we were still fighting. It _needed_ to work first time then. This isn't so urgent."

Clef huffed, but sat up and held his hand out again towards the dwindling amount of water in the glass. She felt him shake as he drew in a deep breath, then hold it and keep perfectly still to cast. She watched the water intently, trying to relax and think about it being clean and safe.

The glimmer shone again, rippling through the water. Umi gripped Clef's shoulder tightly and made herself breath slowly out. A few drops bounced out of the glass, but then she felt the spell reporting back to Clef, a faint echo of coolness. The light faded, the water twisting about the last fragments of it but not gaining the momentum to escape the glass, and then Clef was leaning back against her with a sigh of relief.

"For the next day or so, I guess we should both pay attention when we need magic, to stop it getting confused." He rubbed at his face, then stood and walked away from her to retrieve his ring.

Umi bit her lip, looking down at the abandoned glass. If they both had to focus so hard on one little spell, what good would that be in a fight?

oOo

Food arrived, brought by the same waitress who had seen them the night before. Her stare made it obvious that, even neatly dressed, the bruises and cuts on both of them were startlingly noticeable. They'd have to manage the healing spell somehow, Clef thought, grimly. Walking into the Hall like this wasn't an option. Even those who hadn't taken the chance before now might jump on the bandwagon if they were visibly weakened.

"Are you sure we should try it? Boiling a glass of water's one thing, but if a _healing_ goes wrong- not that it wouldn't be welcome if it helped." She wriggled her shoulders, and he could feel an echo of the pain there.

He sat back beside her on the sofa. "We've cast it together before, almost. The boiling was the reaction that the detection spell is _meant_ to have if something's wrong. All a healing spell _can_ do is heal." He insisted, locking down every thread of insecurity at that. But not fast enough.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm-"

"Shut up, Clef." She put one hand flat on his chest and leant in, her weight against his heart. "I can _feel it_. You're lying."

"It _should_ be fine, that _is_ the truth - I've never heard of a healing spell doing anything other than working or not working! I just have no example of what would happen casting it on ourselves like this." Working internal magic was bound to play havoc with the shields.

Her eyes went wide, as she remembered the overwhelming flare before they had shields in place, but after a moment she growled and shook the reaction away. "Come on then."

"...I was serious about eating first."

"No, come on, let's get it over with. I'm not going to be able to eat while I'm worrying over what's about to happen, and you keep insisting I need to eat more." She took his hands, twisting about to face him further. Clef sighed and knelt on the cushions, and closed his eyes. "Think about wanting us to both feel better, then. Like you did before."

"I know the drill! Hurry up with it."

He reached for his magic and pulled it up, let Umi's power come with it and set it free: "Avenir!"

Magic blazed up, shuddering through him and out through his arms to Umi as well, the hot tingling sliding along his nerves; just as he'd feared, it ran through his shields like they were nothing. But instead of breaking away from his intent the magic just kept going, washing away pain and everything else.

It faded reluctantly, lingering on his skin longest as the rest settled back down to relative stillness in his chest. Hardly daring to think in case he stirred it as he had earlier, he drew in a deep breath and released it gradually, holding still. His arms were holding him up as he'd slipped forwards while the spell rushed on, but his hands didn't ache, and the bruised tightness on his shoulder was gone. It had _worked_, thank the spirits. If it had worked on him, it must have worked on Umi.

A sudden, startled heat coiled down his spine and he remembered in a rush where he had _been_ when he cast it and if he'd slipped forwards - his eyes shot open, finding Umi staring at him from bare inches away, trapped below him on the sofa. Staring down, he could see her eyes dilate, pupils swallowing up the blue, and he wanted -

Clef slammed his shield back up and scrambled away, off Umi and the sofa and out of the room, shutting himself away behind the bathroom door. He splashed cold water on his face.

_So many damned ways this is trouble_.

oOo

By unspoken agreement (cemented firmly by embarrassment on both sides), neither of them mentioned a thing when Clef came out of hiding. There wasn't much time to say anything anyway; they intended to be late, but not _too_ late. Umi would have worried at it, but they were about to face the entire Assembly - again - and this time without magic which would obey orders without talking back.

Also, there was the fact that this unspoken agreement was more literal than should have been possible; even with the shields up about both of them there was a low-level awareness of Clef running in the back of her mind, and she caught the apologetic tone he wore as he came back, the sense of moving-right-along. It faded back after a few moments, leaving her to wonder whether he'd meant to do that, or if his emotions had just been a little too loud in her direction for a moment.

Transporting to the Hall was out of the question, for more than one reason. But that meant walking down through each empty corridor, and the back of her neck itched as she went, light shimmering in the stone on her gauntlet as she fought the impulse to draw her sword. She was so aware of how vulnerable Clef was, beside her, without even a weapon to hand and his somber grey robes heavier than they might have been on Earth, but without the extra strength of her armour. For days she'd been walking closer and closer to him in the hallways, more at his side than appropriate for a bodyguard who wanted to _do her job_, and she hadn't even noticed the slip until now, when she had to correct it.

They walked a long way around the backs of the little cafes and other buildings - none of which they'd got around to visiting, she realised, with a start. Now would actually be a perfect time to go look around - no other visitors! - if they didn't have somewhere else to be. She bit down on a laugh and ignored the confused look Clef shot back at her.

Walking into the corridor to the Hall ate the last vestige of humour.

The two of them paused, lingering in the dark, listening to the restless noise of the Hall beyond; Kuregu must be giving them a chance to be late. Clef had one task to see to when they walked in - steering the room where they needed it to go. Her own tasks were two, but smaller in scope.

One, try to spot any thwarted assassin reacting to their return from the dead. Two, keep them alive if said assassin was startled into making another attempt.

Clef stood up straighter, pulling his shoulders back to stand as straight as even Kuregu's well-conditioned posture. He lay a hand on the door, paused. Then flung it back.

Umi scanned the faces at the Table as quickly as she could, flung her attention out to the tiers upon tiers of people about the room before she was three paces in. The closest seats were for people with the most power; they should be the most dangerous, so she looked around before she looked up, and there were a thousand variations of shock, irritation and amusement looking back at them. But no one gave themselves away with anything more; no one stood and yelled at them. There was no clumsily open attempt to harm them. And with each passing second and each face she scanned for something _more_ there was a smaller chance of finding it.

The disappointment settled about her like a cloak as they reached the dias with no result. She had to force her fists to open, try not to glare at the disgruntled looks from people impatient to get on. It would be such a _terrible_ moment to get into a fight, and she was spoiling for one, for action, for not having time to think.

Instead Clef was standing behind his chair and waiting until the room fell silent, staring at him, and she had to stand by him and keep still.

"Fellow Representatives," he said, voice ringing through the hall impressively, "it is my duty to tell you we are not safe here."

The crowd rippled and hissed. Even Kuregu shifted in his chair, turning a darker look on them, but then security was his affair.

"Some of you may have noticed a broken window in one wall of the Hotel this morning. It is a high window, so you may not. It was _my_ window, and I certainly noticed when it was shattered by a bomb flung in through it this morning. If not for the shields about the room when it went off, my neighbours would probably be missing this meeting."

She noted his carefully ambiguous notion of whose the protective shields actually were.

The Hall was a solid mass of silence, people drawn in by the focused anger in Clef's voice. "Even here, watched over by the only extant security force made from all our lands, supposedly able to protect us from each other, the Lady Ryuuzaki and I have been forced to rely on our own efforts to keep ourselves safe. How many of us have brought a bodyguard to these meetings? How many test our food before taking a bite? This Assembly, this congregation of lands, is meant to be about _trusting_ each other. Instead we bicker and fight and waste our time talking about building an Army which none of us will trust, which will divide us further. It has already begun to do so!"

"Yesterday I called for a Referendum to drop this matter and keep it from distracting us from our _jobs_. This attack was likely a desperate attempt to thwart it. We must condemn those who have abused the trust placed in them as members of this Assembly, working for their own selfish aims, stooping to basely criminal means. I urge this Hall to hold this vote immediately, and show with our votes that we are committed to the fair process and joined aims of the Alliance!"

Silence weighed heavy across the hall, holding down any reaction until Lady Reigan raised her hand, deceptively casual. "I second the notion to vote immediately. The Representative for Cephiro is right, we shall not allow ourselves to be bullied or frightened into altering our course."

"Thank you." Clef said, and sat. Umi folded into her own seat as Eorl motioned attention to herself.

"I third the notion." Eorl said. "Let us waste no more time and deal with this now, before Honourable Representative Kuregu explains what measures he intends to take to deal with this transgression against all of us."

Kuregu had no choice in the matter. He had to agree graciously as he could - which was, Umi was amused to see, not his usual indifference. Eorl had managed to get him to puff up like a cobra flaring its hood. "I, too, agree that such an act can do nothing but bring ill-repute on our dealings here. While we take this vote, my staff are already investigating this incident, and I shall announce our course of action once the matter at hand is dealt with. People, you all know that the Inner Table has passed the motion to vote on dropping the topic of a Defence Force. If passed, this will mean the topic is forbidden for the next seven years without exception; be sure with your vote. Blue is to veto the subject. Amber is to continue the discussion."

The Table slid open again, as it had the day before. There was a low hum about the room as a similar slot opened on each individual table, and the projector at the centre of the table began to spin a fresh graph up into the air as people reached out and made their choice.

oOo

The light on the table split the exact same way it had the day before, with one exception - Lady Maridorn of Tuede, sandwiched between Fahren and Chizeta's seats, bowed to the inevitable and set a gleaming blue stone back into place. All around the room there grew a soft blue halo, sullen patches of amber grouped about but coming nowhere near threatening it.

The whole thing was almost anti-climatic. To worry so much for so long and then win so _easily_ - but Clef's heart still leapt as he looked up at the soaring mass of blue over the table. The watchers remained amazingly quiet as the graph slowed to a crawl through the last few votes, until Kuregu announced "The vote has passed. The question of the Defence Force has been defeated, and will be dropped." Then applause broke out.

Clef sat and admired the graph. It was beautiful, almost three-quarters blue.

Eventually Kuregu stood and waved his hands for quiet.

"Now I must turn to the question of safety. As such a dangerous and indiscriminate weapon has been used while the Assembly is in session, I feel it my duty as Host to call a recess for a few days, that the situation may be made entirely secure, and you may all return with easy minds to begin afresh our conversations."

People reacted at that, and Kuregu waited them out patiently before continuing. "We will issue transports and organise a schedule for departures in the hours before dinner, as well as questioning those of you who might be able to help with enquiries. This room will be in use as a base of operations for the duration. My staff will inform you of departure times and confirm your destination at dinner: those who wish to share transportation with others will have an hour to make those arrangements and confirm them with my people here before departures commence. Those who do not wish to travel on to another destination will, of course, be provided with accommodation on Dleivus. Please keep yourselves available in the hours until leaving. Do I have a second?"

There was a pause. Kuregu must have been issuing orders and setting this plan in place as the vote was cast. It took the rest of the room a moment to catch up, then Lord Ash raised his hand. "Norand seconds it." He said. _Hah_, Clef thought. _I bet you do. Need a moment to plan a new way of expanding your interests outside the Alliance?_

Reigan nodded a moment before Marku of Huginn-Muminn got there. "I third the notion."

"Very well. Will the Representative of Cephiro agree to remain until the last Transports, as the aggrieved party in the investigation?" Agreeing meant longer spent here, where they knew there was someone probably exceedingly pissed off at Umi and himself right now. But it was the only reasonable response, so Clef bowed dutifully. "Then we will begin. You are hereby dismissed until we reconvene on Friday."

Kuregu's people began to usher them all out of the Hall, more staff appearing seemingly from nowhere to clear the tables behind them and begin setting the room up for its new purpose. People crowded noisily about the doors. Feeling no urge to dive into that crowd Clef stayed in his seat. The graph of their victory was still revolving above the Table, so he sat and admired it some more, until Eagle stepped up behind him and Umi.

"I missed it yesterday, but there was somewhere you have taken to going for lunch?" He asked, putting his hand on the back of Clef's chair and glancing between the two of them. Geo stood to the side of him - which put him behind Clef. As he turned to look, Clef noticed several sets of hovering people apparently give up on approaching him and make their way into the melee. They made an effective barrier.

They would do the same at lunch, he realised. Not stopping people talking to them - he had no doubt they were in for a long afternoon of sitting about being interrupted - but they would be a welcome extra pair of eyes each, watching for danger. Eagle's smile was a little too tight about the eyes, and there was no need for him to offer company after all the talking the night before, especially when he must still have dozens of Brooke's agreements to review and deal with. He was offering protection.

Clef hesitated, then glanced over at Umi, and her nod decided him. "Yes. At one of the little cafes. Shall we go together? I'm sure the staff can find a bigger table for us..."

Eagle's expression smoothed out into a real smile. "Thank you, that would be nice."

It... _was_ nice, oddly enough. There was no way to retreat to their room after lunch was finished; Clef wasn't telling anyone where they were staying now, not when he and Umi would probably have to stay here overnight tonight, and people kept on coming and congratulating them on the vote, saying they were glad he and Umi were fine, like the first were all Clef's doing and the second was a matter deeply important to people he'd never spoken three words to before now. Eagle was a cheerful presence diluting the rather morbid attention, and he never seemed to run out of things to talk about, quizzing Umi about the Earth each time she started fidgeting. All in all, the afternoon wasn't the painful exercise in staying awake it probably should have been.

oOo

Going from the cafe straight to the Dining Hall for dinner felt contrary, but despite nibbling all afternoon she was still hungry enough to finish the meal. Courtesy of the previous night, presumably. Sleep would have been welcome, but they weren't done yet. Kuregu sent Chrissy to fetch them from the Dining Hall and escort them back to the Assembly room, where people sat being interviewed at the desks about the long tiers. Other parts of the room were being used to organise the departures.

Chrissy questioned them herself - as his second, it was probably a sign of respect, but then their evidence was rather crucial. She had them going over the details again and again, and Umi moved from a casual kind of respect for the calm way the woman dealt with everything to boiling irritation at the same.

When they were _finally_ set free, she followed Clef from the room while smothering the impulse to push him faster. It was dark outside, and she was tired, still and again, jealous of the people she could see waiting for their transports in the distance.

With the embarking and questioning, there were a lot of people moving about still. Clef looked around, and pulled a face. "Let's walk back the long way. I think my voice will give out if I have to talk politely to anyone else for a while."

"Plan." She muttered, and followed him around the scattered cafes, and one of the gyms they'd not gone near before. "Are we going to stay on Dleivus when we leave? Everyone else must know where they're going by now. Or at least when." No one had bothered to tell them when they were due to get out of here. Clef shook his head sharply, and the spark of his rejection of that idea broke through into Umi's chest a moment. "So, what? Do you want to go back to Cephiro?"

"Not really. We'd barely be there any time at all, and someone would be bound to notice..." He made a hand gesture she assumed meant 'the accidental way we've knotted ourselves together'. "But I'm sure we'll be able to stay with someone else. Chizeta and Fahren are both due out late, not until tomorrow morning; that should be long enough for Kuregu to insist on our presence. There's nothing more we can give him." Not without giving themselves away, at least. "Even if we went back to the room none of my detecting spells would work at the moment."

"So we go stay with Tatra or Aska?"

"We've business to sort with either of them - I've not got around to doing much trade with the people I meant to this session. They voted our way, so we're already publicly on the same side. Besides, it's an open secret that they went to war against us and have since been involved in the restoration, though no one knows how much."

"I guess Eagle's got rather a lot to do." Umi muttered. They walked into the darker shadow about the back of a large exercise hall, and a shiver ran down Umi's spine. Something very wrong was very, very close. Clef stopped dead in front of her, his hands slowly raising. Where the wrong was, Umi couldn't tell - it felt as if it were all about them.

The last time she'd felt anything like this, she'd been racing towards Clef as he battled a demon.

"What is it?" She whispered. She turned around so her back was to Clef's, raising her gauntletted hand, so close to drawing her sword that it began to gleam in the dusk, blue and silver motes swirling about her hand.

"Monsters. More than one, closing in quick." Ill ease rolled off Clef. "We're going to need your sword."

She drew. The light of the action spilled out across the yard. Shapes were moving in the shadows about them, by the sides of the small buildings, surrounding them. There was no one else in sight.

"I guess they decided to have another go at us before we can get out of here. This isn't a good spot to fight in. They have all the shelter, we have none."

"Needs must..." The shadows drew closer. Large strange shapes with odd motions, part lumbering, part snake like speed. Their eyes shone the colour of old blood, and the metallic stench of the same drifted in front of them as a vanguard. "Spirits, so _many_ of them..."

Umi's stomach churned, but she swallowed hard and held her ground steadily, sword at the ready. She could feel the warmth of her magic pulsing just below her skin, called up by necessity. It was a wonder her fingers weren't glowing. Especially with the extra heat of Clef's power wound through it, prickling somewhat but not uncomfortable. More exciting.

She pulled in one deep shuddering breath, and weakened her shield to feel what she was doing, what he was. Clef stood at her back, so clear in all her senses, like a beacon. His power was pooling and darting between his raised hands, at the ready, and there was the faint hint of a tug inside her as he called it forth. She concentrated on not getting in his way. If she could just let him use it, _please_, because it was _necessary_ now.

"If nothing else, at least this should be too far away for anyone else to hear and get involved." Clef murmured, and then the creatures were coming.

As the demons moved closer, Clef flung his hands up, palms out. "Cresta!" he yelled, and there was a wrench at Umi's chest which had her stumbling. Just half a step, but she scrambled back to him with fear tugging at her stomach. Fear which multiplied when Clef hissed beside her, and she got a good look at the shield wavering in the air about them, visible in the dusk.

The shield was usually a barrier of light, one clear sphere about him, occasionally pulsing with waves of power.

This one pulsed, too - but erratically. Threads of light tried and failed to meld with coils of spitting hot water. It wasn't solid, not even _close_, and she could feel it and all its weaknesses in her hands like an itch.

Clef snarled something harsh and tried again as the first beast brushed away the shield with a snort and no mark at all. This time it spluttered and died in his hands without anything else touching it, and then there was no time left for trying again.

The creatures leapt forwards. Umi raised her sword - she couldn't move away from Clef, she'd not leave his back undefended - but there were three bladed arms coming at her, and she'd only one weapon.

A clang. Two caught on her sword, and she turned them aside and slipped sideways just enough that the other skimmed the air three inches from her shoulder, shrieking as it came. The creature snorted, and the stench worsened. It began to turn and draw its arm up - and it was too close to Clef, whose hands spat lightning shot with hail out in all directions. Attack, more instinctive than defence? At least it was _something_.

She had no time to concentrate for him now, yelling and pulling one hand from the hilt of her sword, and throwing the creature back with something which was meant to be a water dragon, but came out like a torrent caught on the branches of a lightning bolt, and it had barely struck the creature she was aiming at before it splintered into smaller and smaller sections which did nothing but sting the beasts into a greater fury.

That one creature fell back and shredded against the blades of the ones behind it, but even as she drew breath the first two were swinging back to her again and she was aware, painfully, at the back of their mind, that as soon as power had ripped out of her hands, it had fled Clef's grasp and left him defenceless. She had her sword - and now her sword alone.

She cried out helplessly for Selece, and there was still no response.

All she could do was react, slashing and taking one step, then another, returning each chance she had as close as she could get to Clef's back while the beasts tried to draw her away. She was aware of Clef, always - the spitting crack of power from his hands as he fought to keep control, drawing energy from her lungs as well as his own with every spell and losing half of it as it lashed out erratically despite all his efforts - he was doing so much better than she could have, but still so little against the rush of the enemy.

The dark world flashed stark white with each bolt, and the ground grew treacherous with hailstone and blood on the damp paving. He moved, came back to her, fought his way to her side with flash after flash and hastening blows of blazing power, reflecting from the unstained patches of her sword sharp enough to dazzle her eyes as she twisted, struck, parried.

Fight as hard as she could, as they could, they were outnumbered, and she was tiring fast. The first blow got through her defences, past her sword which was trying to steer another cutting arm away from her, and sliced across her left shoulder.

She gasped at the pain, couldn't help it, and heard Clef yelling something behind her as the world fuzzed over for a moment, and she blinked her eyes furiously, desperate to see - the blade slipped away from her arm, tearing further as it went, and she stumbled away from it before managing to raise her hand again, shaking like mad, and yelling "MIZU NO RYUU!" at the top of her lungs. Desperation fuelled the spell - she managed to blast three of the things away in one shot, and Clef's back was warm against hers again, but her shoulder was _agony_ and as she gasped for breath, she felt the moment when Clef flinched behind her, and twisted to see a cut opened red on his forearm as the monsters closed in a final time.

The world seemed to _shake_ under their feet, then, a light appearing from somewhere behind Clef, and lancing towards them faster than they could react - Umi had only time to grab Clef's shoulder and begin to pull, not enough to get him out of the way -

The light slashed through one of the _beasts_ instead, and it died with a howl of rage and pain.

Again the light slashed through the darkness, and another monster fell. Then a second beam joined it, lancing out again and again. With their focus split between Umi, Clef, and the unknown cavalry it was easier to break through their guard, and Umi concentrated on her good arm and her sword until they stood in a circle of gore and empty shadows, all the monsters gone.

For a moment, she just stood, back pressed to Clef's, shaking through and through, breathing so hard it felt like her lungs would explode before she got enough air. "Clef!" She managed to gasp, turning her head. "Your arm-"

He was gasping as hard as she was, and shaking harder still, but he stood up - Umi stumbled at the loss of her prop - and turned to her, grabbing her shoulders before she could fall and spinning her. "Umi, you're hurt -"

"So are you, idiot!" She tried to snap, but it came out breathless. His hair hung tangled and bloodstained across his face - there was a graze on his cheek for the second time, and she reached up to push his fringe away from it with trembling fingers. There was just enough light to see his eyes, intent on her, pupils wide. "You have to heal these. Do we have enough power left?"

"We have to heal your _arm_, Umi!" He said, and raised her left elbow from her side where she'd been letting it hang. Pain shot through it, and she couldn't keep back a small cry. "And your ankle - did you twist it?"

Until that moment, she'd had no idea she was keeping her weight all on one side, but now the ache running up her right leg actually made it into her consciousness. She didn't have time to do more than think _huh, I wonder when..._ before Clef was taking a better grip on her shoulders, and pulling her a few steps closer, tugging on what energy he had left. He whispered the words of the healing spell, and this time what washed over her was cool and hot and tingling, spilling out from his hands and running over every inch of her, flavoured with worry and so incredibly intimate it pulled a different type of gasp from her as she stumbled again, against his chest.

Even so, she was too stubborn to let him ignore himself - as the spell washed and sparked down her legs she let her eyes shut and flung herself into her magic, pulling control from him and throwing the spell back, focusing on that graze, the blood spilling down his arm. Clef drew a startled breath, mouth almost pressed against her ear, and when she had done and opened her eyes again he was staring at her in a kind of dazed wonder.

There were footsteps approaching, their cavalry arriving, and they were both so very exhausted... and Umi didn't give a damn about any of that, staring into Clef's face. His chest rose and fell beneath her hands, breath skittering in the air between them, and he was still alive, they both were, and Umi leant in and kissed him hard.

oOo

end chapter fifteen

oOo

I'm taking my driving test in the next couple of weeks, so I have a lot of lessons coming up – it might be a fortnight or so until the next chapter. But I'll do my best!

As for the slightly dubious plot device… I debated for ages, when I first read Rayearth and began writing fic, how someone could make people like Clef and Umi vulnerable. Stealing their control of magic was one of the ideas I wanted to play with the most... and this method was originally something of a joke on Umi calling him a pervert when they meet. Next time I turned around, it was integral to the plot. ^^;


	16. Chapter 16

Firstly, my most sincere apologies for taking so long on this one – especially after thinking that I'd have it up Wednesday or so. I _severely underestimated_ how much time I'd lose to being _in shock _that I passed my driving test(!) (thanks for the good wishes, I swear they got me through. XD) and then to the weekend-long party thing without internet. Though this chapter has also gone through a four hour power cut one of the few days I was meant to have free to write, googledocs deciding it hates me, my beta starting a new job, the acquisition of a new Seanan McGuire book (for some books I have no will power!) and the fact I'm getting ready to leave the country on Monday for a little less than a week. It's been written and rewritten longhand and typed, with three computers, five kinds of paper, fountain pens and felt tip pens and biro, and briefly a quill by candle-light when I felt very _traditional_ in the powercut.

It also turned into a monster. My beta was awesome in helping chop it into something which makes sense (hopefully XD)!

The next chapter – I'm aiming for next week, but only making a vow for the weekend after, given I'm away without the ability to take my notebooks. (hand luggage only, and I have to take food – allergies beat writing, alas.) Most of it is written. Some makes sense.

(The other thing which delayed me – and I suspect this might fill people with dread at the thought of more, and the _wait_ – is that this silly thing might have turned around and told me that, really, it wants to be the first in a trilogy. WHAT. ACK. Was about my response. ^^;;; The story will have a conclusion! In about five chapters, hopefully! But I know what might happen _later_…)

With no more ado ~ I hope it was worth the wait. (At least it wasn't years. T_T)

~down

Ps – planning to get to reviews tomorrow. Time, the organisation of, I am failing this month! Thanks to all of you, anyway! (Poking me to ask where the chapter is completely works to get my brain back on track. XD;;;)

oOo

Chapter sixteen: thinking about not thinking about

oOo

For a moment, he responded just as fiercely as Umi kissed him; Umi tasted blood, and dust, and the sharp edge of magic and relief with something deeper below. But the last trace of the healing faded, and exhaustion wrapped about her. Magic debt had come to collect from them both for such sloppy casting.

The thin edge of power left let only a little emotion through – and then Clef snatched his shields back and stumbled away. Umi flinched back herself, flinging her own block into place, mortified. After all she'd resolved, to turn around and _kiss him_ for _no good reason-_ she tried to apologise, words tumbling gracelessly over each other, but Clef had turned his attention to the stained ground, glaring, and if he was willing to ignore the last five minutes then she was willing to leap on the wagon.

"It's not _over!_ Why? We won the vote! It should be _over_ now!" He turned the glare on her, as if the universe should drop the answer into her hands to appease him. "What was the point of attacking us last night if it _wasn't about the vote?_"

Apparent obliviousness didn't stop him going pink when their rescuer spoke up. Eagle picked his way carefully between the piles of dirt which had been creatures, Geo following and a large gun slung over his shoulder, cables tying it into his headband. "You seem to have irritated this assassin in a multitude of ways." He said, with a grin he didn't try to conceal. "Besides which, Lantis mentioned you were having trouble several months ago, long before you began to get in the way of this Defence Force. It's certainly involved, but I doubt it can have been the lone reason to attack you. Are either of you hurt now? Master Clef? Your clothes are…"

They all looked at Clef's robes. Umi's armour had healed along with her wounds under the spell, but the lighter material of his outfit was still torn and smeared with blood, not all of it the dark shade the monsters had bled. "I'm fine." Clef dismissed them, cutting the air with an irritable wave. "I have never been as adept at healing as I might want. Umi's not – ah, her armour has more strength worked into it, spells to keep it clean and intact. This was mere cloth, for the most part. _Another_ inconvenience."

Umi kept from mentioning the way his hand shook as it went through the air, and she saw Eagle's eyes turn sharp as well, and he searched his pockets – but Geo beat him to it, stepping forwards with a bag of small, pastel-like sweets which he held out in front of Clef, unflinching under the dark expression it won him. "You aren't hurt. That doesn't mean you aren't tired, and when the guards arrive we're all going to end up being questioned again. You should eat." He focused on Umi too, making her all too aware of the tremor running down her arms and aching in her legs. "Both of you. _And_ you, Eagle. That damn gun needs a hefty dose of power."

"Ah, but it's worth it!" Eagle had found his own emergency stash by then, and his smile was rueful. "I'm sorry. He's spent too long bullying me to let it go." It was an act, of sorts – Umi could see the sharpness still there underneath the smile, and he didn't eat anything until Clef huffed and took a handful of sweets, then tossed the bag back to Umi.

She really didn't like these things. They were sticky, nothing but cloyingly sweet on her tongue, clogging up her sense of taste. But she eyed the hunched line of Clef's shoulder and took an obedient handful. "Are we staying here until Security shows up?" She asked, watching Clef prowl about the place. If he felt anything like as bad as she was beginning to, the movement was probably to keep himself from falling down. Umi crunched another sweet and tried not to pull a face.

"There's no point avoiding them. They're already supposedly investigating the assassin – though if they manage to do anything useful I'll be surprised. They _let_ them get in, miss them _making _and _storing_ a _negation bomb_, abusing the maintenance systems, miss the _hour_ it must have taken to summon so many beings, even poorly realised echoes like this, while they're supposed to _be looking for them_, and the moment they attack! We weren't being subtle about defending ourselves, but you two got here first! We have been standing about talking for minutes! What can they _possibly-_"

Umi threw the bag of sweets and it hit him in the chest. (She had aimed for his head. Close enough.) He shot her a look they could have used for paint-stripper, but he shut up. "Not now. Security should be here any moment, and unless you can somehow trace the summoner through these remains, they're going to be holed up somewhere safe waiting to see if we've survived, like last time."

"Can you track them, Master Clef?" Geo asked, kneeling beside one of the smears.

"Not like this." Was the thoughtless reply, Clef grousing before thinking, and Umi looked up too fast, compounding the offence. Eagle didn't even try to hide the searching look he gave them then. Clef flinched away from facing any of them – though he sent a short moment of regret along the bond like an apology to Umi. "We're too far from Cephiro to be throwing about so much power so often, and there's no power left in this to say anything more than what I already know. It's the same attacker as summoned these things back on Cephiro, before the conference, and then set the negation bomb on us. All too much effort to go through just because we're mildly annoying now Cephiro's actually turning up – and, actually, I think the bomb was the real attack." He paused, turning towards Umi but frowning at the air between them. "Nothing on Cephiro came close to that level of aggression. Compared to that, they were all more… testing."

Umi shivered. "Seeing how you'd react, or seeing the shape of your magic to plan the negator spell?"

"Yes, one of them. Or both."

"A professional." Eagle moved closer. "This isn't some politician playing at murder, it's a paid assassin."

Clef shrugged, voice tired. "Who else would have managed a negator?"

And little wonder he sounded tired; it gave them a certainty of a two-pronged problem. They needed to find the assassin, and they needed to find who had hired them.

oOo

Clef looked about the courtyard to see if there _was_, in fact, anything there he might be able to trace, with Umi's help. (He'd been right before. There was nothing solid enough to grip. Even when he was in control of his power he wasn't particularly gifted at the fragile seeking spells which might have worked.) Which meant facing, again, the absence of the security teams which should have been here as quickly as Eagle.

He trusted their friends over Kuregu's security any day, but he shouldn't _have to_. And if he were wrong, if there was more than the one attacker... A summoner working with the mage who'd created the bomb and flung all those testing attacks at them? Or separately? But his instincts _screamed_ that the magic had been the same. The detached anger, cold in the air... It couldn't be more than one person, surely.

Whichever it proved to be, such negligence looked more deliberate than otherwise, on Kuregu's part.

He wasn't unhappy when Umi came to his side again. She was growing fractious, and Geo's face had been set in a frown from the moment he stepped into the courtyard. Only Eagle seemed able to keep a calm expression in place as they waited, and he was the first to hear the approach. "Ah, here they come."

The sound of people running echoed between the walls for a moment before the security team dashed into the courtyard, and managed an emergency stop before hitting the blood on the floor, some of them more gracefully than others. There were six guards, all in the dingy blue one-piece uniform with weapons out and eyes wide under the clear sweep of their visors; after a moment's pause to take in the scene, their captain ordered the others to secure the square and begin noting details, while she came across to them, skirting the paving to keep out of the evidence. Clef kept his growl of frustration back – there was nothing there she could damage by walking through it!

But she didn't know that. He rolled his shoulders, trying in vain to force the tension back down, and waited.

"Honourable Representatives Clef, Vision. Is anyone in need of medical attention? No?" The woman was short, stocky in the bulk of her uniform, and far more together than he had expected. Her gaze lingered a little longer on the state of his robes, but she didn't push. "My apologies for the delay; we had to cut back around from the launch site. The team on duty in this area seems to have gone off after a fire in one of the cafes."

"Accidental, or deliberate?" Eagle asked.

She gave him a shrewd look. "I am assuming deliberate. There will be a report within the hour, we've a Cephiran firebug as well as a Seer from Aquitaine looking into it."

Suddenly Clef was rather glad they had this late team rather than a swift response. If a Cephiran mage had turned up then, they'd be found out already. (Besides which, it would have meant a larger audience… afterwards.)

Turning to Clef and Umi directly, she asked, "Was this an attack on the two of you, again?"

"Yes. Eagle turned up to help with the clearing up." Umi sounded annoyed still. He leant a little harder against her, felt the flicker of attention in his direction before she simmered down.

"Summoned creatures? I recognise the muck they leave. Did you see the mage responsible?" Umi and Clef shook their heads. "Do you believe this was related to the attack last night? Both were led by a mage. I'd guess they were Cephiran in origin, but you'd have a better idea of that…?"

Clef frowned, but decided she probably wasn't implying they'd brought the trouble with them. "Yes, I think so too. I've been unable to catch a real trace of their magic to confirm it, but…"

"Right." She nodded decisively. "I'll get the trackers in, but we'll concentrate on other methods of finding them. Did either of you see anything more of the attacker?" A united denial from Eagle and Geo. "Then I'll escort all of you back to the control centre right away. You'll be more comfortable there, at least, and there's no need for you to go over what happened with me as well. Lyttelton! Caroru! With me, please. You lot get what you can while I'm gone."

They were ushered swiftly back to the Hall. Plain white lights were on all about the room, now it was too dark outside for the stained glass to be in effect, and Clef's instant headache added to the pressure of _not wanting to be here_. People swirled about them in droves, all of them watching Clef and Umi as they we led back to be questioned, and the first person to lean in and enquire in a husky voice if there was anything they could do to help, anything at all, had to leap back as the air crackled loudly with a snap of cold power.

But the Captain, though she was sent off by the Aides, didn't abandon them to their fate. Five minutes into the flurry of questions a couple of servers came into the room, bringing a trolley of the swiftest dishes on the menu, teapot and sugar bowl front and centre. Geo got up, pushed through the annoyed buzz of Kuregu's people, and served all four of them, at which point the questions _had _to stop, because anything else would be far too rude.

Clef pressed food on Umi. She pressed food on him, Geo kept refilling their teacups, and Eagle reclined far enough in his chair that he could see a good distance about them. Clef chewed a piece of fruit. It was sticky on his tongue, and he was too tired to really taste it, too tired to track the people moving about them, or answer their questions with anything other than unvarnished truth, and ill-concealed impatience. Then Chrissy came across, having interviewed Princess Tatra on the other side of the room, and threatened to go over the questions all over again.

"We are _not_ repeating ourselves for your benefit. You can read the reports your minions have taken." He snapped.

Umi snickered quietly beside him as the whole crowd fell silent. It took a moment for Chrissy to regain her composure – and her smile. (He shouldn't be pleased by that. He was anyway.) "Well, then – I have one final question. It appears that we called you out of the dining hall before you could confirm your departure time and destination. Will you be staying on Dleivus?"

"After the care you've taken to keep us safe _here_?" He said, incredulous.

The smile flickered for a moment, but she caught it and slammed it back into place. "Where would you like to travel instead then?" She asked, and Clef had to hesitate. He'd not had a chance to speak with either ChangAn or Tatra – though the Princess was, he suddenly realised, standing not three metres from them, smiling brightly. "I have a suggestion, if I may? I have not had a chance to make any of the proposals the Chizetan government wished to put to the Cephiran Representative. Chizeta is a little nearer than Cephiro, as well; may I offer you and the Lady Ryuuzaki a place to stay for the next few days?"

He glanced down at Umi before nodding thankfully. "Thank you, that would suit us very well."

"Our transport leaves in seven hours, I believe? At five-and-twenty past five, by the Venue's time. There are not many scheduled later, that's certainly late enough that we can share. Don't you agree, Ms Chrissy?"

She hesitated, but there was no stopping Tatra when she was on a roll – the moment Chrissy looked as though she had found some excuse to keep them right until the end, Tatra nodded and went on. "After all, you would not want to keep them in danger, now that it is clear their assailant has not stopped trying to harm them. So that will be all, I'm sure. Shall we all walk back together to the Hotel? I admit, I am feeling nervous at going on my own after this… you had finished your questions, hadn't you?" She smiled again at Chrissy.

The beleaguered aide gave way. "Yes. I suppose we have. You may go, Representatives Clef, Vision."

"_Thank_ you." They walked back quietly, and he and Umi both let Tatra and Eagle carry the conversation.

At least, when they tumbled back into their room, they were both too tired again for this damn single bed to be an issue.

oOo

Morning came, and neither Umi nor Clef stirred, despite the open curtains letting the early sunlight shaft across the bed. Neither managed to set the alarm the night before, so there wasn't anything to wake them up - until the Comm buzzed at them, insistently, from the wall.

Umi woke up when Clef tugged the duvet away and over his head, muttering something incoherent and grumpy - and once she was partly awake, the shrill of the buzzing ring was enough to drag her out of bed. Yawning widely she pulled her hair into a very temporary twist at the nape of her neck as she slumped before the Comm.

The screen lit - and Eagle was smiling at her, not from his room, but somewhere which looked familiar, Geo bustling about in the back... she yawned again, and waved a vague hello.

"Good morning, Umi. I trust you aren't feeling too bad after last night?"

"Just tired, thanks to your help." She yawned again, and then blinked - were those suitcases Geo was carrying? But that would mean...

"It was nothing, Umi. Not after all the trouble Autozam has put you two to over the past week - anyway, I don't have much time before we leave, and the Princess and I didn't think you'd be moving much this morning - and Clef so firmly refused to go to Dleivus I didn't think he'd want to miss his lift elsewhere." Umi grimaced, and got a laugh. "Not that I can blame him. Anyway, the transport for Chizeta is due to leave in three quarters on an hour."

"Anyone would think we were _tired_ last night or something." She muttered, glancing over at the bed. Clef still hadn't moved. "...Thank you."

Eagle smiled brighter, and Geo came up behind him to look closely at her. She must have passed muster, as he smiled, too. "Make sure you eat something solid before you leave, even if you don't like the Transports." he said. "You may be drawing on a land instead of your soul, but magic exhaustion isn't that different whichever system you're running. It doesn't go away after a single night's sleep."

"We'll see you again in about two days." Eagle said. "I'll comm. with information about the Cephirans as soon as we have any. One last thing before I go-" He was interrupted by Geo sighing and tapping him on the shoulder, and Eagle glanced away to check the closest time piece - on Geo's wrist. "Blast – just, be _careful_, please? If the two of you have really – Princess Tatra will look after you. Trust her. And trust me - I won't tell anyone what I've guessed, tell Clef that. Though Lantis would have my _head_ if he knew. Especially if something then happened to you. _Stay safe._"

The screen went blank before she could say anything, and then she was startled by a rueful voice from the bed. "I thought he'd caught on." Clef said, only partially muffled by the duvet. "He's spent too long around Lantis, and far too long on Cephiro."

"So much for keeping it a secret, then." Umi muttered, discomforted and not a little guilty. If she hadn't dragged power away from Clef to throw that spell in the middle of the fight, maybe he wouldn't have seen…

"Eagle didn't say anything openly. We can trust him to keep quiet. For now, at least. Once we're back on Cephiro, well."

We'll be getting rid of this problem anyway, his silence said, and Umi did _not_ like the way that made her feel. It was the only viable choice. Clef had to keep his post, and she had to go back to Earth. "Are you sure we shouldn't…"

"Dissolve it now? No. We'd be far worse off than this, and our assassin is running off script now, unpredictable." Umi watched as Clef hauled himself out of bed, and grimly shook out the tattered robes he'd been wearing the day before. "I need to practice my healing more." He muttered, looking down at them. "I've no other spare."

She was listening, but paying more attention to him than his complaint. The dim light was kind to him, softening the shadows about his eyes and the weary lines on his face, and he needed no _help_ to look good. It was... distracting, and more now than ever before, because she kept doing stupid things, and Clef - she didn't understand him at all. When all she got was the edge of his emotions, even this stupid tangle of magic didn't help. _...He thinks too damn much_.

At least that attack was good for one thing." She stared at him. "No need to pack anything. You can still wear your armour, at least until we get to Chizeta." He pulled a face. "_I'm_ stuck with summoned clothes, but you don't have to be..."

"...I'm sure you think that makes sense somehow. But, Clef, you summoned those sets of armour in the first place. ...Which is rather dubious now you're saying that they aren't the most stable things in the world." Umi suddenly thought, going back over what they'd had to go through in that armour - and the moments when it had replaced all they were wearing.

Clef started to laugh when he saw her expression. "Those weren't _summoned_, Umi - they were _granted_, yes, but - how would they have evolved if all I'd done was summon them? Spirits above... I keep a large variety of supplies in that staff, including raw materials. I did then, anyway. I've let it run lower the past year or so. You needed them a lot quicker than you did the Escudo weapons, and I could get my hands on everything you needed, so. Princess Emeraude told me to look after you three, that was precisely what I intended to do."

"...Oh." Umi blinked. "But you didn't know who we would be, so... you have spells which make clothes from material, then?"

"Yep." He was still laughing faintly at her, the sense of him warm in her chest. "Which is what I intend to do once we get to Chizeta. There's bound to be somewhere we can get cloth. I'd steal the bedsheets now, actually, but they're charmed to remain on this land, and I _don't_ think we're up to undoing such delicate magic as that. The nightclothes, too. The clothes spell we'll have to work out somehow. It'd be good practise, anyway."

The bathrobe hung on the open bathroom door, and Clef looked at it now. "In fact... the robes aren't marked, as far as I can tell. There's a fair amount of thread there... Here, take my hands. Do you remember the outfit I had on the first day? Think of it, then, the same as you do to change clothes, and we'll see how this goes..."

She closed her eyes, and concentrated carefully on the image of that set of clothes, wrapping them about an image of him. The same ticklish, warm tug came, but backwards, her magic being dragged away from her; the first instinct was still to tug away, wrest control of her power - but this was Clef, she could _feel_ it was Clef, so familiar and not gentle, exactly, but the firm grip he had on their power wasn't threatening. She drew in a deep breath, let it shudder out again as magic wrapped slowly about them, spilling out from their clasped hands and winding up and down, focusing in on Clef and the robe beside them.

She held her breath - and nearly choked as the cloth reformed, feeding back sensation along the bond. This was worse than the healing! Instead of feeling the spell pressing through his skin, she felt it _against_ him, a ghostly impression whispering over his chest, neck, waist - she focused so hard on the image her _eyes_ hurt, scrunched tight until it was over, and she kept them that way until Clef had a chance to check he was, in fact, clothed.

"…It seems to have worked?" He ventured, after a moment, and she could hear his frown. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. The clothes were just about what she had imagined – for a moment she didn't notice anything odd, and then she actually took in the colour of them: not white, as the robe had been, or the colour of the original outfit, but a pale, mottled blue. Rather pretty, really, but bemusing. Then there was a lack of any fastenings.

"I'll have to think myself out of them when I need to, I guess." He muttered. "It'll do. The Princess will be here to collect us before we're ready if we try to fiddle."

oOo

Princess Tatra and her retinue appeared on time, but no one else came to escort them to the Transport, when by rights they should have had a security escort. Another small injustice on Kuregu's part, or just incompetence? Clef couldn't decide.

The landing area was secured, at least, by the patrol they had met last night, and then he was too miserable at being trapped in the Transport to think about anything coherently. The Princess had quite a few people with her, but not enough to fill the seats – about ten minutes into the journey she (oh-so-politely) suggested that Clef and Umi might still be tired, and the back seats could be folded out into a bench, if they wished… So he lay down, and drowsed most of the way there instead of doing anything useful.

(That casting their poison-detection spell in a rush had led to his cup of tea transforming into a cup of hot water, decidedly lacking in caffeine, was also not helping stay away. They hadn't had time to make another.)

Umi sat a little way away; Tatra and several of the guards teaching her to play various card games each time he woke enough to check on her. Part of the ill feeling must have been exhaustion, because when they made him wake up and eat something, about half way between Dleivus and Chizeta (they had not paused but set straight out again), he actually felt up to doing so. Apart from the clinging headache, he almost felt human by the time they landed, and Umi had lost a lot of the pale undertones that had stolen across her face; her magic was rebuilding swiftly with the rest and the comfort of quiet hours with friends, seeping through the bond to coil about his heart reassuringly. Cephiro was brighter, too; closer than before, more of a buoy than the anchor she had been at such a stretch.

Still, as they all stood and readied themselves to disembark, he yawned and rubbed a careless hand through his hair. Another few days of uninterrupted sleep would be welcome – real sleep.

He suspected Umi wasn't going to agree to staying still for that long, however nicely he asked.

oOo

When they spilled out of the transport into the balmy Chizetan dusk, the thickly perfumed air made Umi pause to sneeze at the top of the ramp. She could smell jasmine, or something like it, mixed with a dozen other less overpowering flowers, growing all about them. Tatra paused, and tugged a clean handkerchief from a pocket in her voluminous trousers - then she spotted her sister at the bottom of the stairs, and was _gone_.

Umi snatched the handkerchief from the air as it floated to the floor, and used it to smother her laugh, watching Tarta submit to being hugged with every show of impatience while the passing guards and servants looked on fondly. Clef stepped up to Umi's side, and she could see his smile from the corner of her eye. "At least someone's glad to be home." he murmured, and led the way down the ramp onto the neatly swept paving.

The landing area was surrounded by flower-heavy trellises, separating it out from the palace gardens. Above them rose the dome of the palace itself, three curved tiers lit here and there by clusters of soft lanterns set on plant-filled balconies, and spilling through windows and doors covered by gauzy coloured drapes, which invited in the evening breeze, but not the insects still busily working among the flowers.

Tarta was pushed forwards by her sister, and shook hands with both of them. "How do you like our home, Umi?" She asked.

"It looks beautiful from here."

"Then we'd best get you inside to see some more of it. There's food, and I found a couple of rooms for you - there's a connecting door, but there are a few other rooms down that corridor if you'd rather be separate?" Tarta looked at them - then had to stop and frown at her sister, as Tatra burst out giggling. Umi's entire face burnt hot, and Clef snickered beside her - but his own cheeks were brighter than usual. Just not as much as his eyes, which were sparkling with amusement as he replied.

"That will be fine, thank you." He took pity on Tarta's bewildered expression. "We've been sharing a room for the past week - I think the guards would probably kill us both if they thought we'd wandered off to other ends of the corridor, even here. They're a little nervous at the moment." Which sounded far better of Umi's thought - don't worry, we slept together last night! - if by now a little misleading. "Especially after we really _were _targeted in the night."

"I.. see. Well, come on - hey, Tatra, stop _laughing_."

They'd eaten breakfast before they left, and dinner in the hours on the transport - well, Umi had. Clef had nibbled. But still, when they sat about the low table and the smell of food reached her, Umi found herself _starving_. _The magic thing again. Even when I can't actually use it without chaos erupting..._

_I wish I could ask Selece about what's happening. It's so frustrating, hardly being able to do anything… he should know how things like this work, right? _She sighed, and found Clef's hand on hers casually, while he leant over the table to the thin breads.

/We're_ hardly able to do a thing, you mean._/ Clef's voice rang, wry, in her mind, and she just about kept from spilling anything. /_Shields, Umi? You dropped them thinking about Selece, and you think quite… loudly._/

/_I'm not being loud! That was a perfectly normal volume – besides, the shield's still there._/ Thin, but still tangible as a kind of coating about the inside of her head, like the pressure of clothes which she had learnt to ignore.

/_Huh. So they are._/ His confusion coiled between them, and Umi swallowed her mouthful in a hurry, feeling slightly ill.

/_You said it wouldn't get any stronger. That we'd be able to block each other – no offence, Clef, but I don't want to have you hearing everything I think!_/

/_It won't, I'm certain of it._/

/…_That would be more reassuring if I couldn't tell it was a lie._/

/_Not a lie, just – it's fluctuating still, not settled down, you know that. I have no idea how long it will take to do so, and we'll have to adjust shields each time it does. Don't panic about it, Umi. No one would keep such a thing if they lost all their privacy – at the very least they'd have written more about it. Toughen the barrier and it'll be fine. But you'd better reply to Princess Tarta in a hurry because she's just asked you something. No idea what, but…_/

/_Yes, yes._/ Umi imagined her hands shooing him away. He grinned and squeezed her fingers gently before letting go, and she reinforced the not-spell until he faded back to an indeterminate hum, looking up just in time to see Tarta falter in her conversation, sudden (mistaken! They weren't - ) comprehension on her face. Tatra, who had slipped out, came back in a moment later to find her sister the one blushing and not looking at her companions. The look of affection on her face made Umi smile too.

"The rooms will be ready for you once we've finished, if you wish to retire early?" Tatra folded gracefully back into her seat at Tarta's side. "There will be little to do this evening, I'm afraid…" Her smile said she knew all too well that they were still tired. Tarta leapt at the diversion of glaring at her sister.

"If you had given me more than a few hours warning, I could have arranged something! But you only called from Dleivus-"

"From above it, darling, we didn't stay. I fear our friend's temper might not have lasted the visit." Tatra murmured, glancing not at Clef, but at Umi to share the joke.

"I should think we've all had enough of Kuregu's people by then." Clef sent a quelling look at his food; Umi gave up eating to sit back and enjoy the conversation, or at least stop giggling before she choked herself. The attacks seemed very far away, sat in this warm atmosphere.

"Some music to go with the meal, at least!" Tarta continued, blithfully ignoring her sister. "But no, so we'll have to squeeze in everything which we can tomorrow, if you're leaving again after that. Umi can't come here for the first time and not get to see what we have to offer! You can't go away thinking that we're dull-"

Umi caught Tarta's gesturing hand, partly in self defence, and her attention. "No, please – this is far too short to be a real visit, and after the Conference we could do with a _break_ for a day –"

"…Are you saying you don't _want_ to see Chizeta?" Tarta narrowed her eyes at Umi.

"No! Just that I want to come back and see it _properly_ some time!" Umi flung her hand wide. "Honestly, stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Hey! If you-"

Clef coughed politely, his amusement jarring Umi out of the squabble, and both she and Tarta promptly flushed and looked away from each other. "We'd both be pleased with whatever small entertainment you find for us, I'm sure, your highness, but I'm afraid we're going to be very bad guests. The Assembly has been rather… trying. I have one request to make, though, if I may. Our wardrobes were both destroyed in the blast, and need replacing – I have spells which will do the job, but require the raw materials. Would it be possible to purchase some?"

"Oh, there's no need for that!" Tarta said, lighting up. "We can take you to visit the markets tomorrow and find clothes for you, the markets are one of the best parts of Chizetan life!"

Umi blinked, Clef hesitated, and Tatra laughed at her sister's confusion. "Now, dear, I think they want to wear something a little more… Cephiran in design than most of our tailors provide."

Umi pouted at Tarta's confused face. "Things which aren't quite so revealing!"

"Hey!" Tarta shot back, "I've seen your armour, remember? Nothing on your legs at _all!_"

"Legs are different!" Umi snapped, then got derailed by a sudden thought - Clef having to wear something like the djinn did, the flimsy waistcoat-thing she'd seen on a lot of the male staff here, and she half chocked on a laugh. He wasn't exactly built to the same... shape... as they were... "Though, Clef..."

"_NO_." He told her, hiding his face in his hands, either reading or guessing where she was going with this. "I mean. I'm sorry, Princess Tarta, but as Representatives of Cephiro, we should keep to Cephiran clothing as far as is possible."

"Well, if you're sure..."

Tatra smiled. "Are we all finished? I'm sure that your suite will be ready by now."

oOo

When they were shown to their rooms, Umi realised why Tatra had taken those moments to step aside. Both had been made ready for them - for them _specifically_, knowing all the things they hadn't managed to save from the explosion. There was a set of combs before the mirror, with hairties, blue and black and indigo; a tea service tucked in the corner, a bowl of fruits and some small, savoury biscuits, not the usual sweet things.

Umi's room was generously sized, painted in a warm cream with sand and terracotta, and touches of a rich, dusky red. There wasn't much furniture given the size of the room, but the bed was large and round and took up a decent amount of the floor, with a gauzy curtain draped about it so that one could sleep without being a meal for the hungry little insects wandering in through windows kept open in acknowledgment of the heat.

A set of nightclothes lay on the bed, waiting; Umi shook the top out. It was probably long enough to hide the shorts waiting to go under it, thin and loosely fitted, but it looked her size – as did the several sets of new underwear below. She grinned, and stored them immediately in her glove – her armour was fine, it seemed to clean itself when it was summoned, but the emergency undies she'd grabbed in a moment of paranoia were from Earth and running out.

Tatra's thoughtfulness appreciated, she turned to the doors leading from the room. The first held a bathroom – _such_ a room! Covered in little, white and royal blue tiles, there was a round bath sunk into the floor with a gleaming gilt showerhead above it, deep enough to need steps down. A knock came on the other before she crossed the room to see it, though it had to be the connector. "Come in," she called.

Clef glanced about from the doorway. His own room, beyond his shoulder, looked very much the same, but the touches of red were replaced by an emerald green. "This looks good."

"Is it a little too large, though, with both rooms?"

"No, that should be fine, we've not had to do anything ridiculous yet today. If we..." He lay a hand on the door and hesitated.

"Keep the door open, yes. I don't want to face Lantis if I leave the windows open, but not the door! ...The windows won't be a problem, right?"

"No, the shield can fill them in. It should stop the insects, too; it won't be as strong there, maybe, but it will stop people seeing through or coming in."

"Then... this is as private as we're going to get, and we need to Comm. to Cephiro, while we're still awake. Shouldn't we try to work out-" Clef rocked back from her, making the door rock, and Umi faltered. "...Clef?"

"Not this evening, Umi, please. Can't we have just today without having to work out why someone hates me enough to - one day?"

There was a pleading edge to his voice which Umi hadn't expected, and didn't like; a desperation she'd heard from him on a very few occasions, none of them good. His emotions were slipping out the edges of the net he had them in, battering faint hands at her, to keep her back or call her closer, she couldn't tell. It rattled her into bluntness. "You're really good at ignoring things, aren't you?"

Clef flushed and recoiled into his room now, but Umi followed him. She hadn't meant it as an attack, hadn't even _thought_ as far as this thing ill-set between them until it flashed guiltily across his mind, every touch and moment he wasn't acknowledging.

I'm not _angry_, she wanted to say, but she didn't want to lessen the pressure on him to respond by breaking the hush. Instead she dropped every shield she dared with their magic still prickling and coiling, grabbed tight hold of that twist of alien power leading to him, and projected it as solidly as she could: acceptance, confusion, the wish to _understand_.

"It - it was a survival skill," he chocked out, and he'd retreated so far across the room with her chasing that he could sit down on the bed with only a single step more. "Living with Zagato and Emeraude, knowing the legend, and seeing it creeping closer - I knew almost as soon as _they_ did, and we went on for years like that. She wouldn't talk to me - refused to acknowledge it to anyone at all, ignore it as long as she could, because it was the only thing she could do. I couldn't run away, like Ferio or Lantis. I was needed. I followed the example, or I'd have... I don't know what I'd have done. Broken like Zagato? And then-"

Clef wrung his hands together, white-knuckled. Dropping to her knees, Umi clasped them tightly in her own, watching carefully for every nuance of the corner she'd backed him into because she wasn't going to do this again, not when it gave him that expression.

"It was more than a year. Did you realise? You must have - between your first time and the second. We were working so hard to hold things together, looking for the road, and the next pillar because Cephiro _needed_ one, but I couldn't... face what that would mean for there was Lantis with his own agenda, the three invading countries - I could barely think clearly about any of it. Then _you_ came back, and I had to.

"The three of you were so brave, and tangled in our mess - I finally admitted my decision. Not that it made a difference in the end. Both candidates knew the real fate of the pillar."

"...Clef... I'm certain you'd have done the right thing."

"I might have." He shrugged, voice dropping to a rough whisper. "I just couldn't _think_ about it. This has me rattled, Umi. _This_ has." He twisted magic about his fingers, thin thread of water trickling through the light. "I just want some time to adjust before I have to consider it all again. Please?"

She wavered, but gave way, a tired headache pressing in at her temples and an uncomfortable feeling making her want to fidget, stand up and _move_. Besides, she wasn't exactly happy to have to talk about people attacking them, she just... wanted to be able to _do something_ about it. "Fine, fine. We can talk tomorrow. It's late, we can always Comm. Cephiro tomorrow too, they aren't expecting us. Do you want to go to sleep now?"

Between them they flung a shield tight about the set of rooms, the light creeping away from them in fits and starts but eventually coalescing, and Umi escaped to her own room, glad it was there to escape _to_ and wrapping her thoughts tight inside her.

oOo

But it could not be as simple as that.

Sleep dragged at her reluctantly, and when it eventually settled about her the dreams she had were nothing solid, but unsettled dark creeping things trapping her alone. More times than she wanted to know, Umi woke gasping, twisted, and fell asleep again. Then something grabbed at her, a jolt which should have started her awake but instead startled her into a thick awareness, things swirling before her, scenes she could taste, which battered against her skin and thrummed until her ears ached. Cephiro rose before her, green and vibrant for a sheer second before it tarnished and failed, corrupting into a mass of sludge-like shadows while something drew all that vibrancy from it. She felt the screams of the beings trapped in the decay.

Umi shouted and tried to drag herself away, do anything, but nothing responded. Cephiro shone again, briefly, closer - she saw the towers of the castle catch the light before they crumbled and the seas boiled, ground cracking, shuddering apart under some neglect which divided the people who should have been caring for her; the darkness tasted of guilt.

Others now, people she recognised, lands she didn't, crumbling away; Autozam stood proud in front of her and burnt out, crying out for more than she had to offer, and all she could have offered was trapped by her inability to move. Again Cephiro stood there, until an outside darkness followed her home to crack the spires with a gleeful malevolence.

Now there were ships in the sky, vessels she barely knew, and she was torn between all of them - all these dying lands she loved and this was _not acceptable_.Umi snarled. She flung her will about her and the darkness shrieked, a braking-train howl, not quite alive. She tore herself free as it shuddered.

(Somewhere in all these endless possibilities was the one which clamoured most _right now_...)

A dizzy twisting, swirling, tugging her down and across and - and -

Ground coalesced beneath her feet, sort of, and air about her - she swam into a scene familiar but _strange_ at the same time: though the air was about her she couldn't feel the wind which tugged the bushes about her. The palace towered over her, bright and shining, but wasn't she meant to be elsewhere? But she was distracted by the loose coils of power swirling about the tower. She knew them intimately, knew every swirl and eddy, and she had never in her life seen them before.

There was a problem - a dart, a strike, and she blinked and was around the corner, and realised the world had been oddly hazy the moment lucidity returned, and she knew, remembered, where and why she was.

A monster with blades extending from its elbows fought Clef in the shadow of the castle as dust tainted the air and blood pooled on the dirt from a limp figure wearing her clothes, long hair tangled about it. Even as she watched the beast pushed Clef's staff away and held a crimson-stained blade to his throat - but even if this was _his_ nightmare, she wasn't letting it play out one of her own.

She raised a hand, and the dragon which snarled through the space between them was flecked with light and ice and the sharpness of a glacier.

Clef reeled away from the disintegrating figure, his eyes almost blank. Umi went to run over - and found herself already facing him. She reeled somewhat herself from the displacement: she never dreamt this vividly herself. It was like being awake in a sleeping world - Clef's world - with everything around her slightly blurred, a touch too slow. He stared straight through her, naked fear alone on his face, blood - hers? - grimy on his fingers.

She grabbed his shoulders - even then he didn't quite seem real: only the echo of sensation in her hands. "Clef!" she yelled, or thought, the word muted by the lack of air. "This isn't _real_. You're asleep, wake up!"

Still no response. He looked through her to the body on the floor, and a grim darkness began to coil in about the edges of the scene, drawing in close. The corruption she'd seen from outside, this the latest in the series of nightmares with the same termination. The floor began to quake. Umi stumbled and tripped over her own corpse. "Oh, _hell_ no!" she muttered, surging to her feet and slapping him as hard as she could.

Clef's head slammed to the side and he rocked away from her. Raising a hand to linger over his cheek, he blinked, and finally, finally, looked at _her_.

"Wake up, Clef!" The world began to splutter apart. "Wake up!"

oOo

end chapter sixteen

oOo


	17. Chapter 17

So, chapter sixteen extended its reign of accidents by getting caught up in the ffn problems as soon as it was posted, and I couldn't log in at all to do anything about it – fortunately it was up just before I had to get on the aeroplane to Lisbon, or I'd have been trying to find an internet café when I got there, and still wouldn't have been able to log in. ^^; Seventeen is late all because of me – Lisbon was HOT (at least to this English girl!) and as soon as I returned I proceeded to catch a cold one weekend, and forget Easter was coming and would take up all the next. (…yeah. Not sure how I managed that.) By the time I scrabbled the first full draft of this together yesterday, my beta had gone to bed, and she _does not sleep early_. ^^;

So here it is, a little late, hopefully worth it – and I have a LONG WEEKEND this weekend with nothing that I know of _planned_ to eat my time, thus HIGH HOPES of eighteen being more timely, though at the moment half of it is bulletpoints. (My hopes are so high they apparently demand caps, too.) ^^; In addition – having begun polishing up the Japanese University Magic AU in moments when PY is hurting my head, chapter two of that should be up soon. I just have to destroy Clef's dignity once more in it. ^^; (Sorry Clef. I only do so because I love you~)

I am so behind on responding to reviews now, but I love all of them, I really do – thank you so much!

~down

oOo

Chapter Seventeen : the bed you make

oOo

Waking up alone was disorienting- Clef wasn't there, where he should be, just had been. Umi scrambled out of bed into the thickness of the balmy air, shaking, goosebumps down her arms and a chill running over the sweat at the back of her neck.

The door between their rooms yawned open, narrow maw filled with a thicker darkness. Umi pushed through it with a shudder. She made her way slowly across the room, arms out in front of her, as her eyes adjusted to the unnatural, bitter shadows in the air; when she made it to the edge of the bed she could see their source. Clef was coiled tight at the head of the vast mattress, the sheets around him stained with the darkness seeping from him.

There was no hesitating, and somewhere inside she poked at that lack with a _very_ long stick, pushing the awareness back into a box where it could be tightly locked away and let alone. (She was _not_ going there. Not even theoretically, not hypothetically, and most _certainly_ not while she was clambering into his _bed_.) Kneeling in front of him she pushed the duvet aside and took hold of his shoulder, ignoring the dark haziness as best she could. It crawled cold and damp over her arms, heavier this close to him, but Clef's body was reassuringly hot through the muting layer of pyjamas.

He started at the touch, and his head flew up - and his eyes, gods, she could drown in the blue for years and never come back. Such a brilliant blue, and so very open... the same look as when he'd finally acknowledged her asleep, and even waking there was something dangerously unguarded in that look. But he closed them again before she could work through the tangle of thoughts pressing against her own, and the panic still shuddering through him overwrote everything else. He reached out, uncertainly, and Umi curled around him, leant against the headboard as he held on to her waist.

Clef said nothing. Umi sat and ran her fingers through his hair, over and over until the darkness faded away and the air was clean again. In its place rose a quiet, embarrassed thankfulness. "Better?" she murmured.

"Much." He shifted, and she sat back a little to avoid their heads cracking as he pushed up. He leant back against her shoulder, only mostly vertical. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"_I'm_ not - you were half way to dreaming up a demon by the look of it."

"I've a _little_ more control than that." He rubbed the heel of his palm against his eyes. "Though I'll admit I might have been upsetting other people's dreams as well before long."

"...You were seeping darkness, Clef."

He hissed. "More control than that _usually_, then. Sorry for pretending to have _any_ dignity left."

Umi hesitated, but he didn't... despite the words, Clef didn't sound angry, and he didn't move away. "Is there any reason your mind ambushed you tonight? Well. The attacks, I guess. Then I made you drag up old horrors right before you slept. That was a daft question. Sorry."

His lips pressed a hint of a curve through her sleeve as he smiled. "That didn't help, no. But-" he clamped down on the next thought, cutting it off, but not fully awake and only partly shielded, magic flared up from the panic attack, she managed to catch that one.

"You've been having a lot of bad nights lately."

Clef tried to pull away, but her arm was about his shoulders, and she held on until he settled back in again, all pointy elbows and shoulderblades in his discomfort. "You're having nightmares, Clef. It's not a horrendous confession of something evil or fatally embarrassing."

"Yes, well."

He waved a hand at the air, now just a normal nighttime shade, and she had to agree his nightmares were a little too dramatic. "Has anything been happening which might have... caused them? An outside influence, or something? Because that, your dream... it was odd. Like you were being pushed into it, or something... I'm not explaining this very well." She huffed. "I don't go walking in other people's dreams very often, it's probably just me. But it felt like there was something _there_."

Clef's voice was warm against her shoulder. "No, actually, you might... but there hasn't been anything happening in Cephiro to unbalance my dreams more than usual, which would... When she's hurting, the pain seeps out into others, but she's _fine_." She felt the green cool-heat of Cephiro run a little faster in his chest, echoing through the bond as he woke it and checked the truth of that.

She wanted to keep him talking; he seemed better when she made him talk. "Is that why you were sleeping so little the second time we came to Cephiro?"

"...One of the reasons. I was trying to hold the castle and the shield about it in place and at least a _little_ of the land in one piece for as long as possible, and every time the land started shaking apart again when I was asleep I nearly lost it. Even when nothing was happening I was so worried it _would_... I've had bad dreams since, on occasion, but the past four weeks..."

"A month - something must have changed a month ago."

"Not on Cephiro, it didn't." Then there was a pause for Clef to draw in a deep breath and sit up, chagrin welling up through him and over to her. "Of course, not Cephiro-"

"Autozam!" Umi chorused with him, and they stared at each other, blue eyes wide. "That must have been when Brooke's lot started machinating their way into place and interfering with the connection to Cephiro, ready to try to cut it."

"A whole month! If I'd been paying attention, if I'd _thought_ about it in all that time-"

"_Oh_ no you don't!" Umi thwapped Clef across the top of his head, startling him away from his recriminations. "You weren't one of the mages or scientists working on the link whose _job_ was to monitor her and notice things like that. In no way is this your fault. It could have been _anything_ causing it- even Autozam shifting in her recovery, which you said she's been doing every so often anyway."

He blinked at her, then slumped back against her shoulder, just as close as he had been before. "I'm too tired to argue with you."

"That means you know I'm right and won't admit it." Umi grinned.

"Whatever," he said. "It means that Autozam is still unsettled _now_. Enough that the negative overflow is enough power to make nightmares begin to manifest. That's more worrying. Especially given she's somewhat _sentient_ now, by all accounts."

"Can't you sense that?" Umi asked, distracted a moment. Clef shook his head. He was waking up properly now, thinking his words through before saying them, and she had the sense he would far rather talk about the darkness than not for this moment, while it still pressed shakily at the back of his mind.

"Not really. The feel of her is so different to Cephiro; much weaker and constantly changing. It's not my bond with her so much as a conduit for Cephiro to hand power through me. Here, can you sense her?"

There was a shift in the twist of power between them, an echo of a prickly bright thing, far smaller than the sense of Cephiro which shrouded it, barely anything compared to the unavoidable awareness of him. It was an obvious distraction, but aimed at himself, at the fear still caught in the way his hands trembled when they relaxed. Umi closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching out with her thoughts to touch the edges. The sensation was rather like trying to hold a sweet chestnut case without getting pricked, right down to the sense of neon green about it, though there was a thin trace of grey and dullness like a dusty cobweb caught about the spines.

Umi dragged together scattered thoughts still edged with the fading adrenaline of her panicked awakening. "Well, from what Eagle said, it would be a hell of a _movement_ she managed. Perhaps these are the aftershocks. Like in an earthquake. Even Cephiro - after we dispersed the pillar system, it took months for the quakes to stop entirely. More than I've felt at home, and Tokyo's fairly shaky. If the coup involved interfering with the connection with Cephiro, and it's settling back into place now things have changed... well, isn't that exactly what's happening with our magic?"

She startled a small laugh from him. "True. On a rather different scale, but yes. Which means I can expect a few more disturbed nights. It won't hurt me, at least." He pulled far enough away to look at Umi. "And that probably means disturbed nights for you, too. At the moment."

"I don't mind, but..." Umi hesitated. In the dark and in that moment Clef looked too old and too young together for the man she was used to. Young enough she wanted to want someone else to step in, hold him and say 'don't worry, I'll sort this out', but old enough to know it was a foolish impulse.

Whatever else this had done to them, it gave her an edge _knowing_ what she saw was right, a benefit she held onto gratefully at that moment. There was no way for her to take responsibility for him, not least because he'd resent any attempt to. She couldn't tell him that everything was alright.

But she _could_ stay with him.

It was his turn to gratefully catch the unsaid and lean back against her shoulder. "I'll haul the shield in. It should be more effective on a smaller scale."

Clef held out his hands, and three of the walls began to gleam along with the ceiling and the floor, molten bronze and silver swirling in a viscous layer which sank through the final wall to encompass her room too. She could feel the boundary of it like a background hum, louder now, and did her best not to interfere or flinch away from the feeling. Clef raised a hand and beckoned, and the shield flowed in until the glow came through the final wall and rested there. His arm dropped and the light faded away.

"Good night, Umi." Clef pushed away to settle facing away from her. Umi's side where he had been leaning began to tingle, the herald of pins and needles as blood began flowing easier. She stretched with a grimace, and the stretch started a yawn wide enough to make her jaw ache.

A little light filtered through the loose drapes from lanterns in the trellises outside. At least, she could fool herself that that was the only source of light as long as she didn't look too closely; the hints of dawn were still subtle enough to lie about. The quiet hum of Clef at the back of her mind coiled down quieter as his breathing slowed.

Minutes ticked by, marking out the edges of her discomfort as the magic in her chest continued to shift and press at her. If she shifted she worried that Clef would wake up again, so she had to endure the fidgeting she couldn't do. As her legs couldn't move, her thoughts took on the impatient energy instead, flinching about her head. Sleep refused to rescue her. If she couldn't sleep, she should turn over the attacks again - but she didn't _know enough_, not about the other lands of the United-whatever-it-was at the Assembly, not about magic to find out the assassin, not what else Clef might have been doing to garner ire from people.

Before this week, it had been so hard to make him _explain_ his work - and he'd spent so many hours on it that it felt mean to make him talk in his free time anyway. Umi didn't want to be a bother. Yet now she was being something more, worse, which she _also_ didn't understand. She'd thought it would be a contained thing, like her connection to Selece was. (Should be, when it was _there_, and how she'd taken this ingress of chaos for that slow ice burn she couldn't understand.)

But perhaps it was Selece who contained himself then, and this was up to her - to Clef and her.

She wished she could ask Selece if there was a way to keep from being trapped in someone else's nightmares, because her own were bad enough. With the clarity of an outsider, Clef's were unbearable. Umi felt alone without him, even with Clef right there, or not alone, precisely. But there was a shield missing between her and the rest of the world, the potential of his awareness and the power in it.

Dawn was far more than hinted at by the time she managed to drowse again.

oOo

This time when Umi woke up there was no need to be disappointed that she hadn't moved in the night. _She_ probably hadn't, as her head was still firmly on her pillow, facing out of the bed. But Clef had shifted. His forehead pressed to the nape of her neck, an arm lay surprisingly heavy over her side, and a knee pressed to the back of her legs.

It was uncomfortable. She was too hot, her back aching where she'd twisted oddly under the weight of his arm, and her left arm was numb because she'd rolled right onto her shoulder. Ah, well. Maybe sharing a bed was another thing that had to be learnt before you could stop being clumsy at it.

(It was... rather disappointing.)

There was a dull thumping coming from somewhere. It had woken her up, but it didn't sound like a knock a the door, as she'd thought... Umi lifted her head, slowly, wary of Clef resting on her hair, but pulled free with no more than a sustained tug. (She was going to have to start tying her hair back properly to sleep in.) Still the rapping continued. Clef's arm shifted as he began to sir, and she looked about, trying to find the source of the noise.

No matter which way she turned, it always came from in front of her. Which was odd - but, she realised finally, it wasn't actually a sound at _all_. A pressure, instead, against the inside of her mind - against the _shield_. "Hey, Clef." She twisted to look down at him. "I think someone wants us to wake up."

Clef grumbled something unintelligible and pushed himself moderately less horizontal, and away from Umi - though not far enough to reach his side of the bed. "May be awake, but I'm not getting _up_ before I've had some tea. We're on holiday, aren't we?"

"...Notionally, I guess." Umi sat up properly against the headboard, and began finger-combing her hair. She had to focus to not fight the ticklish tugging sensation as Clef flung out a hand and tugged the wards apart. The knocking became a sound between one moment and the next, patient and steady and maddening.

"Well, then. Holidays have to involve tea in bed. It's a rule." Clef told her, and he waved his hand again, muttering 'open'. Umi lost her grip on about half her hair, letting it slip back forwards again, and wriggled in annoyance at the feeling of the spell. Instead of the doors opening, a coil of water splashed across the back of it as it rattled in its frame. Clef blinked, and met her eyes, a little sheepishly. "Uh. Think about the door opening, please?"

Umi obeyed, snickering a little, and this time the tug was smoother, not ticklish at all, and the door obeyed as well as she had done, swinging back to reveal Tatra stood with her hand raised to keep rapping. She turned to someone further down the corridor with a smile.

"Fetch breakfast for our guests, please. The kitchens should be ready. With tea for four." There was the faint sound of a 'yes, your highness', and footsteps withdrawing. Tatra came in and pulled the door shut, pausing a moment at the water on it. "My apologies for the intrusion, but when your room was found empty, Umi, there was some worrying among the staff - and then when Master Clef wasn't responding to a knock at the door..." Her voice was light, amused, and Umi blushed as she finished plaiting her hair, tying it off with a piece of ribbon summoned from her glove.

"Anyone promising tea is more than welcome, and no intrusion." Clef told Tatra, far too seriously. Umi bit back a laugh, pulled her knees up to her chest and rested against them; leaping out of the bed would have looked ridiculous, and she refused to do so, however strong the impulse.

Tatra came and sat on the end of the bed with them - it was large enough to have a tea party for eight, and the lack of chairs in the room implied it was pretty much expected. That or people were supposed to get up and go to the dining room for food, but really, they were on _holiday_... She didn't seem phased by sitting around while they were in nightclothes, either; though they _were_ probably just as concealing as her usual clothes, if not more.

"Tea for four? I know Clef drinks a lot of it, but if he has double the usual he'll be bouncing off the walls all day!" Umi told Tatra, and dodged the swipe Clef made at her head only for him to grab her plaited hair and tug the ribbon off, leaving it free to slither back about her.

"Tarta's bound to show up in a minute or two." Tatra explained, watching with a laugh in her eyes as Umi hit Clef with her pillow, and then left it there, slipping out of the bed.

"I'm going to get dressed, then." She muttered, and vanished to the closest bathroom. She caught the edge of Clef's consternation at being left alone with Tarta on his bed - he still wasn't quite awake, and the shields weren't _quite_ in place. Which meant he probably knew her reaction was to be amused. Fortunately he couldn't throw a pillow through the door.

It didn't take long to wash face and hands, run the waiting comb through her hair, and then summon her armour yet again. Clef's altered-bathroom-robe-robes had disintegrated, now a pile of unwoven white thread on the tiled floor. Unless that had happened when Clef undressed; they _had _failed to put any fastenings in...

Clef looked a _little_ more awake when she advanced cautiously out, and Tatra still looked amused - especially when a knock at the door made Clef jump. "Ah, Umi!" He said, too brightly. "Would you get the door?" Given they'd managed to open it without moving before, Umi didn't think it was _really _necessary - but she went anyway, and let Tarta and the breakfast trolley in.

"Good morning, Umi. They told me that Tatra was - ah, yes." Tarta began, stopped, and invited herself in, relaxing a little as she sat down beside her sister.

Umi waited until the tray had been brought in and the maid curtseyed and left them, then shut the doors and wandered back over to the bed. "As you see," Clef was saying, "We could do with that material as soon as would be convenient, really." He looked up at Umi when she sat back beside him, and she managed to not jump when he thought at her. /_Detection spell?_/

/_Got it. Go ahead._/ She waited patiently while he cast it, then reached for a cup, hoping they'd managed that one better than _yesterday_ morning. And her tea was still tea, and none of the fruit and bread set about them had dissolved, so that was a victory to start the day with.

"Oh, I sorted that out already." Tarta said, with a grandiose gesture. "They should be back soon."

"...They?" Clef muttered, but neither he nor Umi could get a detailed explanation out of Tarta, and her sister refused to be drawn into things, smiling beatifically and bestowing more tea on all of them.

It wasn't too much longer before there came a polite knocking at the door. "Excuse me, your highnesses!" A voice rang through, "We have the fabrics you requested, Princess Tarta?"

"Ah!" Tarta clapped her hands, and waved for the doors to be opened - Clef knocked Umi's knee with his own and they obliged. Five of the uniformed staff came through, hefting bolts of fabric - a _lot_ of fabric. There were linens and gauzes and heavy brocade-types, patterned with the weaving or dye or embroidery, a narrow rainbow of blues, purples and greys. They spread them across the floor, the carpet disappearing under slithering folds of soft, shivery colour, great swathes of it, and then they went back to the corridor for more, and more still. Armfuls of trimmings came next, scattered over the top like a haberdashery hoard, and there was leather-like material for boots as well.

Clef's eyes were reassuringly as wide as Umi's. "We don't want as much as this, surely? What have you done, emptied half the shops?"

Tarta laughed, teeth very white. "No, this is all on loan from the stallholders of the market. We take back what you don't need when you're done; it's the most efficient way to give you a choice."

"It's how _we_ buy fabric, too." Tatra added.

"I - thank you." Clef was flustered, but dragged words together, which was more than Umi could have managed. "Would you give us an hour or so to ourselves, to sort through this and make use of it?"

"Oh? I thought your spells would only take a moment or two, Master Clef." Tarta sounded put out, and Umi wondered what she'd planned for them to be doing instead.

"Firstly, if I didn't ask Umi carefully what she wants doing with her clothes, I'll not hear the end of it even when we get back home. But mostly I mean to teach Umi how to use the spell as well, now we've opportunity; we might waste a fair bit of fabric on first attempts, but we'll pay for it all."

"Ah, you've become one of Master Clef's apprentices then, Umi?" Tarta asked, apparently satisfied by this.

"I always was!" She pointed out. "He gave us our magic in the first place. Well, gave us the connection to Cephiro's magic, or whatever it technically is. Now he's just indulging his teaching habit."

"And your curiosity." Clef added. "Instead of you barging into my study while I'm in the middle of something with a new question about summoning or the logic behind fire spells which you could just as well have asked Ascot or Lantis."

He kept a straight face, but she could feel the light edges of his amusement in the way her magic rose in her chest, led astray by that slip of lightning. "But you know more of the _whys_! It's so different to Earth, you see," she explained for Tarta's benefit, "and I like things to _fit_. That's why I like maths." The Princess looked more confused than anything, but Tatra intervened before Umi had to try explaining herself, gathering up the remnants of the meal and then her sister, steering all out of the door.

"I'll come back in an hour, then! We can see the gardens this afternoon, it won't take too much energy, and they're an important part of the Palace. Wouldn't you agree, dear?"

Tarta smiled, teeth bright against the dark gold of her skin, and Umi wondered again what she was _planning _but there wasn't time to ask.

Left alone, Clef launched straight into the business of teaching her this spell - or, as they'd pretty much used it the day before, how to refine it. He had to describe the outfits he meant to her, sketching them out in rough lines across paper he summoned up from his ring. He wasn't the best artist in the world, and it took so much concentration - her head ached, and her lungs felt like she had been running for hours by the time they got into the swing of things, but the hour went by and the acres of cloth became beautiful _useful_ things.

There wasn't time to consider anything more serious before they had to pick from their new possessions and dress, then make a hash of folding the remnants back up before Tatra arrived, alone, to show them around.

oOo

They walked through the gardens in the brilliant sunlight, and Clef was pulled, slowly but inexorably, into conversation over trade and other not-brilliantly-interesting things as the three of them wandered between the flowers and the curved pools which made up the gardens. Decadent, in this climate and with no space to spare - but this _was_ the palace, and the gardens, Tatra explained, were also the public park for this part of the capital. Statues loomed out of the ponds, towering ornate things with columns balanced on the backs of stone animals, or topped by them.

Umi roamed a little further in from the three bodyguards who floated unobtrusively at the edges of the gardens. It didn't bother her having nothing much to say, as there was so much to look at. But she looked back every few minutes, attention drawn back to the way Clef moved, sound of his voice, like he was the... the home page for her attention, or something.

Though after a very slow moving half an hour, they reached a wide open space, grass trimmed low and kept free of obstacles, and all Umi's attention focused sharply on the two women stood there.

One was Tarta, and Umi didn't even really see the sword and shield, too used to them. It was the striking paleness of the bandages wrapped about the arms of the unknown one which drew the eye, against the dark of her skin. Her first inane thought was wondering how someone had damaged both arms that badly - then she realised they were wrist supports, and that she needed them because she used her wrists a _lot_. Given the long curved knife in either hand, she was using them _right now_.

Clef's hand on her shoulder stopped her halfway to drawing on reflex. Another thing this - what had he called it? This 'empathy' might be good for; stopping illogical reactions.

The women couldn't have been sparring long, and Tarta was facing away from them, but she seemed to have a second sense for her sister - with a twist of her wrist she sheathed her sword and turned to face them. The other woman bowed and sheathed her knives, one on each hip, and stepped back to the edge of the lawn. "Tatra! How are the talks coming? _These_ ones." Tarta nodded to Umi and Clef - they were stood close enough to share the greeting.

"Why, have you finally become interested in our trade?" Tatra asked, smiling as her sister blushed, growled, and looked away. "Things are going fine, though I think perhaps Umi is a little bored - perhaps you'd like to join Tarta's training while Master Clef and I keep talking?"

Umi blinked, and looked between the sisters, making sure if Tatra had meant _her_. Then she was looking at Clef. She didn't have to say anything - even without the weird resonance she wouldn't have needed to. Clef was trying not to grin, the suppressed smile making his eyes glitter.

"Go ahead." He told her. "One of us might as well be having some fun."

"I'm sure there's time for you to join in before dinner." Tarta offered. "There can't be _that much_ you have to talk about! You should join in too, Tatra. It's been a long time since you've managed to get to training sessions regularly. You must be out of practise."

Clef was startled, and also tempted. She could see it, and now it was her turn to not laugh. "Less out of practise than one might think." She murmured, and smiled at Tatra instead, thinking of a dark hallway.

"Perhaps we will, but for now we still have work to do, so if you would just entertain Umi for the moment..."

"Sure, sis."

Which led to Umi standing on the grass, facing the woman with the two daggers. She called her sword into her hands, eyeing up the reach of those daggers. She'd been training on and off with Hikaru at her dojo on weekends - they'd taken on the task of teaching Fuu to use a blade more naturally, and Umi had been expanding her style. But she'd never fought against someone with two blades apart from the monsters summoned by their assassin.

If they were to face them again, she wanted to be ready.

The two of them circled slowly. Umi stepped on the balls of her feet, keeping connection with the ground, staying lower than she usually would - sparring with Hikaru had taught her that her guard was weakest low, and if the woman managed to get her sword engaged high with one dagger - then there was no time for thought, as the woman switched direction and closed in, angling a sweeping blow from low on the diagonal to do just that. Umi dodged it backwards and thrust for the now-vulnerable shoulder.

Metal clashed loudly as the second dagger came up and jarred her sword aside: the woman brought her elbow back towards Umi's face. Umi jammed her forearm against the woman's and swept the blow away, went to hit through with the other hand, but remembered the other dagger and disengaged instead, taking a few steps back. The woman did the same, carefully staying out of Umi's wider reach, and watching her sword hand carefully.

Umi was watching for a hole in her opponent's guard when Tarta made them both flinch by clapping loudly, tugging them to a halt. Standing up reluctantly, Umi turned to look - Tarta was walking over from where her sister and Clef still stood watching, sword sheathed at her hip - but tugging her round shield from her arm. "Here, Umi. Borrow this."

"I don't normally use a shield." Umi said, taking it anyway and trying to think of any time she _had_ used one.

Tarta grinned. "Well, your mage was muttering about finding you one, so you'd probably best start practising."

Umi blinked over at the watchers, and pulled the shield on. It was light metal, domed out a little to deflect blows away, with a strap which went about her arm near the elbow on one side and a handle to grip on the other - a bit of a stretch for her, as it was sized for Tarta's longer limbs, but workable. She hefted it and rolled her shoulder experimentally, and smiled at the waiting woman. "I never introduced myself." She said, as they both fell back into stance. "I'm Umi. Ryuuzaki Umi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Umi. My name is Orthia." And they closed at the same moment.

It was far easier to get in close enough to strike now she could block with both arms. She caught Orthia's first dagger with the shield and bashed it away high, sweeping her sword up for the woman's chest, the blade singing in the air. It jarred her arm all the way back to her elbow as Orthia caught the blow with her other dagger, locking the hilts together and sweeping it high, stepping in close. The first dagger came back round under the shield - Umi hacked down with the metal rim on Orthia's wrist and the blow missed as Orthia fought to keep hold of the weapon, dropping lower - by that time Umi had worked her sword free, and brought it back across in an inelegant slice at Orthia's waist.

When she spotted Umi's sword Orthia dropped lower still then sprang up, flipping back out of the way, shaking out the arm which had been struck, a smile hiding in the lines about her eyes. When she ran forwards again Umi tried to catch both daggers on the back of the shield to batter them out of the way. One slipped free with a high shrieking sound which made her wince, and when Orthia stabbed through the hole Umi had left between sword and shield, the only way to dodge was to thump down on the ground. Grass scratched her neck, her opponent was moving in: Umi kicked out and caught Orthia in the knee, hard, winning time to scramble awkwardly to her feet.

"Not too bad for your first time with a shield - try just defending a while!" Tarta called across, focused so clearly she looked a great deal like Tatra when _she_ was serious. Umi shrugged, and nodded to Orthia: the next ten minutes left bruises on her arm and shoulder where the rim of the shield caught her, but it was beginning to feel a little more comfortable. It wouldn't have without the training at Hikaru's. All her fencing had taught her to keep her free arm back and out of the way, not fling it up in front of her. Retraining those instincts was still going to take a while, but it wasn't entirely alien.

Tarta clapped her hands and stepped forward the next time they broke apart, a _determined_ look on her face. "My turn." She said, sword and another shield in place. Orthia bowed and faded back out of their focus.

The reckless grin trying to break over Umi's face was reflected in the gleeful twist of Tarta's sabre as she carved a figure of eight out of the air to loosen her wrists then settled into stance. There hadn't been a chance to fight with either of the sisters since Umi had stopped focusing on competition fencing style and begun working on something more adaptable; she'd been _waiting_ for this, and for a moment the anticipation wiped out _everything_.

Then Tarta said "and you don't need to hold back for me - I can beat that damn magic of yours too!" and launched forwards.

Faltering, Umi's gaze caught on Clef in the distance, and she barely parried those first thrusts, fingers stinging, slippery with perspiration as the force of each blow ran up the blade and the shield suddenly clumsy on her arm.

"I won't need it!" she yelled, angry at herself for being distracted, at Tarta for bringing it up. Launching a series of blows she pressed Tarta hard.

The princess turned every one of them aside and locked Umi's hilt with her own, leaning in close, teeth bared as she grinned. "You will, Water Knight. I've been practising."

She _could not use magic_. Tatra was watching, had to be, and Tarta was hardly slow, especially when fighting. They would see something, find out, and this was _theirs_ for all it scared her horribly too. Theirs _alone_, and why should anyone else get to poke and pry into their privacy? A growl rolling in her throat, Umi wrenched her sword back and free, dropped lower and attacked again, each savage blow meant to defend them. It. With all her will.

A worried thread caught at her neck like a garrote but it wasn't her thought and she could ignore Clef too like this, no matter how loud he yelled. The fight was more important. Tarta ceded ground and they fought across the bare grass and into the shadow of one of the looming ornamented statues; she was _winning!_

She was reckless.

With a sudden yell, Tarta surged up and slammed her blade not into Umi's sword, but the unfamiliar burden of the shield: it twisted, pain radiating up from Umi's wrist, and slammed into Umi's swordhand too, throwing her off balance. Umi stumbled and fell over the lip of the fountain, water splashing about her legs as she dragged her arms up desperately to block the blow that had to be coming, should have been coming - but when she looked up Tarta was _gone_ and the shadow falling over her was the toppling bulk of the fountain, hacked through at the preposterously thin base.

Umi froze, arms and power stalling. _Not Clef's magic!_ She scrabbled for water - for _only water_ - but all she could feel was lightning snapping in her fingers and then it was too late, too _late_, darkness twisting down over her and she flung the whole tangled mass up with a shriek, no idea what words she called out.

Wrapping her arms over her head, dropping sword and scraping her forehead with the rim of the shield, she was flung down into the water by the concussion as the statue exploded.

Chunks of masonry blasted in every direction; she heard them screaming through the air, the stone heated beyond melting point. Dust and sharp flecks of stone pelted down on her, scoring lines on her skin, but by some miracle of physics nothing larger came her way except the wave of cold water as it slammed into her, soaking through and around the layers of her armour, plastering fabric to skin.

Eventually the falling shrapnel stopped, only a pattering of water left, and Umi dared to raise her head.

The first thing she saw was Clef, and she wished she'd stayed where she was, because the moment their eyes met the weight of his anger crashed into her.

/That_ was a _particularly_ foolish thing to do._/

/_I didn't mean to explode it! Tarta was the one who dropped it on me-_/

/_I meant trying to fight without magic!_/ He glared harder. /_If that had been a real battle - you nearly managed to get yourself killed _anyway_!_/

/_I didn't want to give us away!_/

/_This has to stop_./ he thought, and he was clenching his fists so hard Umi imagined she could feel the ache. /_Right now, this has to stop. We need to learn to use this properly, which means we need their help. We tell them-_/

"No!" Umi scrabbled up from the water and over the wreckage, sopping wet. "Clef!"

"Eagle knows!"

"He guessed!"

"We tell them and we _fix this,_ or I'm dissolving it now and be damned with the rest of the conference. I'm not leaving you vulnerable like this." The grim determination was rock-solid in his voice and his thoughts. No, not stone - not given the statue shattered about them. _Strong as Escudo,_ she thought, wildly.

You _can't_ dissolve it, Clef." Umi pleaded, the ragged edges of her clothing brushing against too-sensitive skin, all of her on alert. Water trickled slowly down her limbs. "I don't want you to! It's not mutual!"

"Consent of both to make it, consent from one to break it." He stared her down. "It's your choice."

Umi wanted to argue, but - he wasn't happy either and he couldn't lie to her, not like this. He meant every word, and as Umi came down from the shaky, tunnel-vision thoughts of the adrenaline high, she saw the shock on Tarta's face, the debris spread over thirty metres of damaged garden, and knew he was right. She was no good to him like this.

Which hurt even more when she realised that they had both admitted they _wanted _to _keep _this thing at the moment they had to hazard it with others.

"A break, I think, for all of us." Tatra said, quietly stepping across to take her sister's arm and lead them all away from the devastated piece of land, back to the table. Tarta's expression was... uncertain, and Umi winced - how much of that had been aloud? "Don't you agree, Master Clef?" Tatra said, voice still soft, when neither he nor Umi moved.

"Yes."

He waited until Umi was out of the water then turned his back and stalked to the table.

oOo

Tatra got them all set up at the table they had been negotiating across while the others duelled - notionally, anyway. In truth they had spent more time watching the fight than talking, as his abbreviated notes made painfully clear to everyone. Even Umi couldn't have failed to see the shortness of the lines she couldn't read, if she had looked.

She didn't.

Princess Tatra called for drinks immediately, and they didn't have to talk while they sip at the cool fruit-juice laced water. Without the Princess's steady, undemanding conversation, refilling all their drinks from the cut-glass pitcher, keeping her sister distracted... Clef didn't know what they would do, because he was no good at making quiet spaces for his temper to subside, let alone - well. He was glad of the distraction.

He missed Cephiro with a sudden intensity; there was a whole castle full of people better at patience and providing space than either Umi or himself. Why could he never manage the same? Never, at least, with her, and he flinched away from the thought in time to hear Tarta say, "So, what's all this about people attacking you?"

Which was a frustrating enough problem to focus his mind on. Umi ran through all the attacks so far, briefly; Tarta grew more angry as the litany went on, shoulders hunching forwards and her hand shifting towards her sword.

"Umi and I have been thinking about this for so long we've no perspective at all, any thoughts would be welcome." Clef added to the summary. "Why someone would go to so much trouble over us - over _Cephiro_, when we've barely the presence to keep from looking _complete_ fools is beyond me, and I know I'm missing something."

_At least, I hope I'm missing something, because the feeling is far too irritating to be paranoia._

_And would mean there is something there to find._

"I... don't believe you realise just what a difference your presence has made, Master Clef." Princess Tatra straightened a little further, posture perfect without any chair back for support. "The inner table has been set in its patterns a very long time. Just by appearing, you, Cephiro, changed the balance of power on the table. Most of the other lands have been waiting from the moment you arrived to see which way you would lean before moving themselves - their power, _our_ power, comes in great part _because_ it is the long-held balance. That is, I believe, why none dared to approach you, in your first years attending."

Clef looked into his glass. "You speak of Lady Eorl."

"She was certainly one held back by such thoughts, yes. My precursor hoped to avoid acknowledging our bending of the rules when we set out to invade. I suspect that Autozam thought the same until the connection between her and Cephiro was agreed upon, by which time Eagle Vision was well enough to take a part in persuading others to the relationship. ChangAn..."

He laughed a little. "ChangAn merely did not trust me to maintain the effort of learning politics, and besides has little to do with the others of the Inner Table most of the time. I don't fault him for it, and no one else had any reason to trust me. If things really do stand so precariously as you feel-"

"The army notion was proof enough, in its own way; it would have been a unifying, steadying force among the old powers."

Clef fought to hold back a manic laugh at what they'd done, half blindly. With a few days grace to look back upon it the whole thing seemed a greater madness than it even had at the time. Umi sighed beside him. "And now instead of leaning towards any of them, we've set up at _new_ faction on the Table and threatened _all_ of them." she said.

"It's not a faction!" Clef insisted, somewhat desperately. "We persuaded them it was in their own interests to vote the same way as us for a time!"

"Isn't that the _definition_ of a political faction?" Umi shot back, and he floundered.

Princess Tatra weighed in on Umi's side as well, "It is true that many of those who voted with you will not do so without great thought in the future - but also true that for Chizeta, for Autozam, quite possibly for Eoferwic and Fahren and even Bebbanburg, the decision each time will be made with reference to Cephiro, as we have _proven_ that taken together we have a welcome power to move the process of the Assembly."

Tarta had sat by her sister, fidgeting more as the minutes went on. At this, finally, she lost patience. "Why does it matter?" she snapped, slamming a hand down. "They tried to kill Umi and the mage before this Army was ever brought up - _long_ before you built up this new group. Maybe they were scared you might, maybe they weren't - but if that was _all_ they'd have tried taking you out seriously _years_ ago!"

Tatra sighed. "So forceful, sister dear."

"But with a point." Clef gestured a little too widely. Umi huffed at him, batting his arm away before it could hit her.

"They _have_ tried to hurt you before. LaFarga said!"

"Not like _this_. This... concerted effort. There was planning in this right back months ago when the first tracers with stings hung on their tail began appearing in Cephiro. The creatures being summoned were another method of testing my defences without committing to a face-to-face fight. All of this was leading up to that explosion. The summoning, afterwards, that wasn't planned so well; that was desperation speaking. Summoning the same creature over and over and over? If we'd been at our usual standards of combat, it would have been easy enough to take them out - fine, there would have been some effort involved. It would still have been easy compared to that explosion. But the bomb came so _late_ after the Army concept - if they had used it a few days earlier, the vote might well have gone very differently."

"They have a different motive, then." Umi rubbed at her face. "They weren't really worried about the Army - or less worried about that than something else, at any rate. What would it have done, if you had been killed?"

Tarta broke in again, rolling her eyes. "Made Cephiro look weak. Those politicians spend all their time trying to make each other look weak."

"...So in the end it's all about making Cephiro look bad to get her off the Inner Table, like you said right at the beginning?" Umi asked, torn between a somewhat hysterical humour and irritation. "But half the conference would like that!"

Clef dragged his fingers through his hair. If the Inner Table was so tangled up, then pushing one land off wouldn't just make a space on the table, it could make several - and it would certainly mean lands would have a greater need to seduce allies to their side. "It's hopeless! We've no evidence pointing to anyone at all! We need more information-"

"Well, you aren't going to get it _here_." Tarta pointed out. "The Dleivan won't send a security report out on an open channel even if they _did_ find something. Given security seem to be a group of incompetents-"

"_Ahem_," said Tatra. "If Representative Kuregu's people cannot find anything-"

"They _won't_ find anything." Clef muttered. "Even the competent staff won't find evidence when they're ordered not to."

"-then we shall merely have to investigate ourselves when we return." Tatra finished, placidly ignoring the interruption. Tarta gave her enough practise.

"The only lead we really have is the assassin themself. What now?" Umi asked, and when Clef turned she was looking at him, biting her lip, a frown creasing her face. That expression tugged at his nerves.

"We go back and catch the assassin, I suppose."

Tarta stood right up, impatience in every limb. "Are we _done_ then? There's nothing you can do about it _now_, not from here, and I want to show Umi around. Can't you get on with your negotiations now, or some other political thing?" She stood, pulling Umi up too, and Tatra came with them - as did Clef.

"Actually," he said, before she managed to drag Umi away, "I have a request to make, if I may?" All three women stared at him, but Umi's look fell heaviest, and he wished she would just _stop it_, because he didn't want to do this any more than she did, but a second's memory of that statue and his resolve would _not be shaken_. "You offered me the chance to spar, before. Umi and I are... in need of some practise fighting as a team. With current events, I would be grateful if you would give us the opportunity now, before anything else can happen and take it away." _Or I lose my nerve_.

"Of course, Master Clef." Tatra said, her smile turning up a dangerous few degrees - in fact, it matched Tarta's almost exactly. "We would be glad to offer ourselves as your training partners for a while."

oOo

Hands in fists, Umi didn't know what she was feeling - anger, guilt? Any other time she would have been excited at the mere thought of such a duel. Even now part of her was anticipating happily, but mostly... honestly she felt more like sulking than anything else.

She tried to set it aside, unsuccessfully, and Clef's hand hovered at the corner of her vision a moment, but drew back before he touched her. "Umi..." Turning to the Princesses, Clef bowed, and didn't meet their eyes. "May we have a few moments private discussion?"

Tatra nodded, catching her sister's arm before Tarta could look either worried or confused, and pulling her inexorably away. "We will go and prepare ourselves. Tarta needs a new shield, and I must find some more appropriate clothing..."

"Thank you." He waited until they had gone, then sighed and walked several paces away from Umi. The anger had gone, at least mostly; he looked sad, more than anything, when he finally turned to face her. "I know why the spell didn't work. Why all of them have been difficult, and haven't worked, at least in part. The main part. You aren't going to like the solution." He frowned and looked away and cut off any response she might make; "No, _I_ don't like the solution. But it's the only way, and we really do need to _tell_ them."

"I think Tatra knows anyway, by now." Umi admitted, softly. "I know it's not fair to use them as a trial without fair warning, it's just-"

Words failed her, tangling as she tried to explain the instinctive recoil from _sharing_ this with anyone else, trying to parse the swift and even dragonish possessiveness in a way which did not sound _insane_. "It's... _private_." Was all she managed, in the end. But Clef's rueful glance back to her meant she wasn't alone in this, either. "...I think I understand why others haven't been writing great studies of it for others to drag apart, at least."

"Yes. I know what you mean."

_Consent of one to break it_, Umi thought, and felt ill - uncertain. She'd thought - he'd seemed, well. Not unhappy. At least, she'd _thought_ he had, but... "If you want," she began, as low as she could make the words, "then we could still-"

"No! How many times do I have to _say_ it?" Clef snapped, looming in close to her. "It's not that I don't want you, Umi!" (She flushed, violently. Clef didn't even _notice_.) "It's that I saw that statue falling and you _weren't stopping it_. You _hesitated_, and you never hesitate, Umi. Not in a fight, not like that, but I felt it, and then the blasted thing _exploded-_"

Lights were flickering in the air about them and shimmering in his eyes, tiny flecks of ice and worry which scratched her throat as Umi breathed in. Clef's hand cupped her face, the touch tentative, nearly ticklish in its lightness. Umi leant into it, made it stronger, real.

He was leaning toward her, the same angle to his movement as the night of the ball; they were surrounded by flowers and uncertain threats again, but this time there was no audience to blame for his thumb stroking her cheekbone, her breath faltering as he looked at her, so _intently_.

"You told me you don't want to see me hurt. The feeling is returned. I don't want to make you anything less than you are, Umi."

"You _don't_ - Clef, you make me _think_ about things. Just by being there, because I don't want to disappoint you, because you're always thinking too much-"

"You hesitated." He repeated, quietly, as if it was the answer to every protest. In so many ways, he was right. If she faltered like that in a fight, with Clef or anyone else at her back...

He leant closer still, moving slowly as a _glacier_, and Umi didn't dare move in case she chased the fragile moment away to where he had hidden every other one like it. If she moved, he would start _paying attention_, and he would pull away. So she kept still as she could, holding her breath, nails beginning to bite hard into her palms...

"Hey, Umi!" Tarta called out, and Clef recoiled back in a hurry.

Growling, Umi span to see the Princess stumble to a halt, fierce blush on her face. "What?"

"I, um. Shield! That shield - it doesn't fit well, does it? We could get you a better one - _I'll_ fetch you a better one," she amended in a hurry, glancing over Umi's shoulder to Clef and back again. "Show me how far out it is?"

The shield was abandoned on the table, some heavy dents in the metal boss at the centre. Umi yanked it on, and held it out while Tarta examined the fit, then vanished in a rush with it. The moment was gone, and Clef looking into the distance. Or, no...

_He's looking at the mess I made_. Umi sighed, looking across the garden. "You think you know why the magic isn't obeying without giving us a headache?" She prompted him.

"Yes. I think, anyway. We've been rejecting it, and it doesn't work like that. With the statue, you were trying to use _your_ magic, weren't you. Just water." Umi nodded. "You can't do that, not anymore. That lightning is _yours_, now. You have to accept it, and channel it with the rest. Trying to split them... it doesn't work."

"But it's _not_ mine. It's all coming from you-" Umi muttered, unhappily.

"I'm just the source. _You're_ the wielder, now. It's chosen to live _here_." Clef lay two fingers on her breastbone, and he looked rueful. "I've been doing the same, treating your magic like an outside thing, trying to segregate it. That's what has been causing the confusion over who is in control of each spell we use - most of it, anyway, I reckon. We aren't _willing it_ like the owner should, so it doesn't know what to do and gets caught between us, looking for firm direction. Strength of will, even."

"The spells for things like making clothes, they aren't elemental, I wasn't _trying_ to not use your magic with those or the poison one, and they still went wrong." Umi pointed out.

"But you weren't actively trying to _use_ it, either. I certainly wasn't - it feels odd, different to what I'm used to, so I wasn't grabbing it when I reached for power."

Umi looked down at her hands. "If we do that, won't people notice? That my spells suddenly have electricity in them? You'll be in trouble. I don't want that." Wincing at the feebleness of the words, she couldn't find a way to express just how much she _could not face_ being the reason he was hurt.

"Maybe. Maybe not. If it's just a little, well, everyone's magic evolves over time. If our elements weren't so complementary, this would never have happened, not even if we'd been consorts a century or more. Besides, _using_ the magic doesn't mean everything you draw has to be set loose the same way; perhaps you can send the water at someone and set the lightning to ground in the earth at the same time."

It seemed a flimsy notion, but then, all Cephiran magic had sounded flimsy at first. "...What about you?"

"Oh, I'll think of something." Clef said, with a smile which didn't reach his eyes. "I could use a few water spells before anyway. Not easily, and not well, but using magic outside of one's alignment is a skill I've always tried to work on, so I have some measure of... plausible deniability."

"Clef..."

He shook his head, and the smile he turned on her then was small again, but real. "Don't worry about it. Whatever happens, keeping both of us safe and _well_ is far more important than any title. I'm not entirely without skills, you realise. I wouldn't be left without opportunities if the Council took my Staff."

"You'd be _watching_ again instead of being active. You'd be _miserable_."

"Because only the Master Mage has any kind of power in Cephiro these days? Funny I missed that you've been completely helpless, then. People like Lantis and Caldina and the other Knights as well."

"I'm being serious!"

"So am _I_." Clef stepped closer, curling the fingers of one hand about the back of her neck, thumb resting lightly along her jaw. "I can live without the title. I did it for centuries to no ill effect, after all. I couldn't live with it if harm came to _you_ because we were so focused on trying to hide this thing that we took stupid risks. I'd not be impressed with myself if _I_ wound up damaged either."

The moment hung between them, a soft and gentle thing that Umi didn't know what to do with. She flushed, still in the quiet trembling of some trapped animal, and again made no attempt to move. This time he didn't lean in, but slowly pulled away, then the Princesses and their retinue of guards were returning swiftly across the grass.

oOo

"It has been a long time since I have had a chance to practise fighting. I don't suppose we could lose the witnesses?" Clef suggested lightly while Umi pulled on the shield Tarta had brought her and hefted it; Umi could feel the weight of his intent on the words, not light at all.

Tatra looked ...unsurprised, but Tarta was looking between her sister and Clef with nothing more than confusion on her face. Still, she said, "We can arrange that," clapped her hands and gave the order for the guards to stay well back from the perimeter of the field, and to keep anyone else from walking through. Clef still hesitated a moment, glancing back at Umi.

Tatra held open hands out towards them. "I promise you, no one but the four of us can see or hear anything taking place on this field. Our staff will not disobey orders, even if our parents insisted, and as neither of them are currently at home there is nothing to fear." Tarta, blinking, lowered her sword. Umi itched to take advantage of that and stop this dangerous talking, but there was really nothing to be gained from it at this point. "You may speak freely here, and both Tarta and myself vow to never speak of it to another, if you wish us to."

"...That would be appreciated." Clef managed.

"You have my word."

Tarta nodded. "And mine."

"We have a slight..." Clef began, and stalled. Umi bit her lip, then stepped forwards.

"We have a problem with our magic. When the bomb hit, we accidentally tied ourselves together, and now our spells are broken. Given people attacking us, we want to practise until we can fight properly again."

"Tied together - you mean a bond?" Tarta blinked, eyes wide. "Like in the stories? But that-"

"Not exactly like the stories, I think, sister."

"No." Clef agreed, voice rueful. "It's been rather a problem, and besides which, it could prove problematic if the Council learnt of it."

"Couldn't you just break it?" Tarta asked, and Umi bristled up despite having asked the same, light flickering in her gauntlet. "If it's that much of a problem-"

"_No_ - no, breaking it would cause its own problems, and with this assassin on top of the Conference, that's the last thing we need." Clef explained, as briefly as possible, as she had with the attacks earlier. "Just, please, the opportunity to get hold of it."

"That we can grant you." Tatra promised, and raised her hand to cut off the rest of Tarta's questions. "There are two of us, and two of you. Would a fight between two sides be convenient?"

"Two against two?" Umi asked, looking to Tarta. "...Are you going to make me fight those damn Djinn again?"

"I think we'd rather take this battle more personally, don't you think, sister dear?" Tatra said, shedding the jewelled net which had been pinned over her hair. Her whip and shield appeared in her hands. Tarta unsheathed her sword, Umi drew her own, and all three women looked to Clef.

/_Here goes nothing..._/ Umi heard, and wasn't sure she was meant to; he closed his eyes, held his right hand out, and said, simply, 'come'.

Light shivered, a ringing in the air like a dozen tiny bells, and his staff appeared in his grasp with the ribbons flying about them. They were both relieved to see it; like Umi's armour, it was a symbol of his role which should not appear if Cephiro had judged him no longer fit. Clef grinned at all of them, eyes bright. "Shall we begin?"

oOo

end chapter seventeen

oOo


	18. Chapter 18

Ahh, my optimism last chapter about this one was gravely overdone – it took four days of nearly 2000 words each to batter this into place, and while I can just about keep that pace up for a while, I can't focus enough to _edit_ while I'm doing so! The next chapter is going to take a lot of work again, so no promises for next week, I'm afraid – though I'm thinking of taking this week and hashing out as much as I can of the first draft from here to the end, everything which hasn't been blocked in yet. Wrist power and time willing, that should make the chapters _after_ that an easier set of dominos to knock into shape. :D

I'm still not getting to reviews – sorry, people! The internet's being daft about letting me log into anything for more than five minutes at a time. (Google Docs, for instance, in which I edit with my beta. .) This is either down to my mother's new works laptop messing up our router (new encryption and security – it has happened before with this.) or the power cuts just down the road have been taking out our broadband line at the phone exchange, or something of the like – either way, not much we can do about it except wait for the tech people to fix the problems. I'm hopeful it might even out some tomorrow – the power cuts are mainly affecting the shops down the road, and they're mostly closed, so whatever keeps tripping it might not be on. *hope*

I am, however, getting the reviews in my e-mails, and I have to say again (sorry for the broken record!) that I love them, I really do, thank you! And to the people who are silently raising the page views (which would be me, to be honest, I'm a ridiculous lurker by nature) (not that I could see them this week, dratted internet. XD;;;), thank you, too, for reading this ridiculous epic, spending your time with it. It means a lot to me.

…on a far less important note, I spent several hours this week translating and then boggling over the notes on Cephiran fruits in the anime materials collection – and, uh, while I am referencing them in this fic, or other things, I find I cannot actually bring myself to call them Gear and Turbo and Power Steering and other bits of cars. (…yeah. XD;) So I'm romanising the Japanese word phonetically, not translating. (Gia and Taabo and Pawasute, in those examples.)

(Also, there is a village called Bentley in the anime! I hadn't noticed before. OH CLAMP.)

~down

oOo

Chapter Eighteen: Reclamation

oOo

It was different again. Immediately, and increasingly, it was different. Clef dragged lightning from the sky and there was steam there, too, a hissing outline lost in the brightness of the light. Umi felt each spell he cast, but instead of tugging at her, setting her off balance, there was just a gentle touch - like fingertips brushing over her skin, there-and-gone. (This was meant to be _less _distracting_?)_

And the magic went, more or less, where directed.

They defended at first, battling over the clear patch of grass beyond the broken statue. Tatra stood back and sent her whip flicking out to test them and make a gap for her sister to dash through - but lightning blasted holes in the grass between them, keeping Tarta cautiously back. Clef's _decision_ snapped through every attack, snarling bright through the air - and it might have been her imagination, but where before each lightning bolt had seemed just that, raw and elemental, there was a motion to it now. A new kind of animation.

More like the dragons she cast about, uncertain at first and stumbling with them, dragging Clef off balance with the weight of her doubts. But she held her breath and bit her lip, let herself be angry at her failure and used it to call out magic without splitting it.

_This is mine_, she thought,_ this is all mine. It will do as I say_.

Her sword was trembling, her grip on it so tight, and when she thrust it up through the air water came hesitating and tumbling about the tip, running down the blade, spilling drops on her upturned face until she had to blink and look away. One lone spark of light crackled at its tip, and she saw Clef flinch in front of her, saw Tarta's eyes narrow and the change in her weight as she gathered to run forward.

Umi glared up at the attempt at her spell, and reached again for her power, willing herself to _believe it_.

_This is _MINE.

"MIZU NO RYUU!"

A sheer white light flashed at the tip of her sword, and the water pouring forth became a vortex about it before it coiled around and she felt the easy weight of it, the _rightness_, and swung her sword down towards Tarta. The dragon leapt through the air, light crackling down its spine and gleaming in its mouth, larger than she had meant- larger than herself, larger than any of them - and the roar of it through the air deafened her for a moment while the water blocked her view.

Somewhere behind it Tarta swore, and Umi laughed, giddily, and couldn't move fast enough when Tatra's whip sliced through the tail of the spell to reach her - but she didn't need to, because Clef had seen it and lightning slammed the tip to the ground like the head of a snake with the body writhing behind it.

They didn't need to look at each other, but for a second they did anyway, eyes bright, and then they were splitting up and running forwards, taking the offensive. Clef's staff shone bright like a beacon as he wrapped power about it and took up Tarta's attention, meeting her blade with the head of it and making her hiss and leap back as lightning crackled across her sword, reaching for her, and Umi came up behind her.

Tatra flicked her whip back out to stop Umi reaching her sister; Umi was expecting it, dodged, but still the end of it caught the hilt of her sword, snarling about it and aimed to trap her fingers. So Umi dropped the sword entirely, and it melted away to water before it hit the ground, spinning back into Umi's gauntlet. The commotion had Tarta spinning to face her and she just had time to drag together a smaller dragon to counter the wild swing of Tarta's sword as Clef went on, past them both, and set himself up facing Tatra; of the people on the field, he was the slowest, but his range longest. If he could hold Tatra off while Umi took Tarta out of the battle, they could concentrate together on the more dangerous sister.

Of course, Tarta wasn't exactly _easy_ to fight. Umi summoned her sword back into her hand and flicked it towards Tarta's face, making her back off and opening up a little room between them and Clef's unprotected back.

(...No, not unprotected. Because she was there.)

"I beat you earlier, I can do it again!" Tarta yelled, though she was grinning fiercely at the same time, teeth bared. Umi growled.

"You dropped a statue on me! That violent streak of yours-"

"Look who's talking!"

They fought back and forth, Tarta trying to spin them so Umi was no longer blocking her from Clef, Umi falling back on instincts and her best-ingrained training to keep her off, spilling further and further into fencing style. She had half a thought still caught with Clef behind her as well - he was keeping Tatra back, but by blasting her whip away and keeping her too far to use the sword - and not once had he used a shielding spell.

So when Tarta changed tack and twisted in close past Umi's sword, her own held low, Umi's shield was held back and nowhere it could do her any good, and she was entirely open to the blow headed for her ribs.

Umi yelled, more in surprise than fear, and instinct stepped in, instinct she'd never had before, and she dragged power about herself, pulling her arms in, eyes closing, and yelled "KAKUEN BOUJO!"

She flinched when all the heat vanished from the air with a flash of light bright enough to hurt even through her eyelids, and a sharp grating sound rang in the air. But nothing hit her other than the cold, a sharp moment of worry followed by amusement from Clef, and she realised as her ears stopped ringing that she couldn't hear _anything_, and cautiously opened her eyes.

The world was rippled and crazed through a sheet of solid ice, inches thick, curved between her and Tarta. Not just between them; Umi looked about wildly and realised she was encased in a sphere of ice, too thick for Tarta's sword to make a dent in it.

"That's new." She muttered, bemused, reaching one gloved hand to touch it. "...If _I_ can do it, Clef should damn well be able to..." The ice was cold enough to hurt immediately even through the material, and it didn't give way to her touch, or her cautious thought as she extended her will towards it: the spell had created the shield about her and left it in place, separating her from Tarta. Separating her from the _entire duel_, in fact, and she swung her own sword at it, swearing when it glanced off the smooth surface without making more than a scratch, and jarring her so much her boots began to slip on the ice below her feet. She scrambled to stay upright, and peered through the cloudy ice as hard as she could.

/_Clef! I - shield!_/

/_Noticed_./ Clef shot back. /..._Not the most practical shield..._/

/_How do I get out?_/ Umi demanded, bracing herself and striking the ice again. She did slip this time, falling heavily to one knee. /_Damn it!_/

/_Don't know, but you'd best figure it out quick, or I'll have lost the duel for us._/ Clef returned, tone wry, and, damn it, Tarta _had_ gone after him!

Umi gathered her will, and her magic - _all_ of it, dragging up everything she had and hoping in the back of her mind that she wasn't about to make a mistake and drown herself.

"AOI TATSUMAKI!"

She concentrated on what she needed as the cyclone ripped out of her hands - and there was that lighting, laced through it, heating the water until it was more white than anything else, steam still being dragged round and round the hissing, spitting waterspout. The ice shuddered, and then gave way, shattering and melting in equal measure. She sent the spell on before her, the direction Clef had been, trusting him to know what she was doing and use it while she battered her way out of the cracked globe before she could look across.

Clef was keeping Tarta off, just, using the staff as a weapon again while he kept Tatra as far away as he could with erratic spells he couldn't take the time to aim properly. Tatra was closing in fast, but Umi had been right; as her spell howled towards him Clef twisted the staff in his hands, catching both Tarta's sword and shield on the pole and pushing her into the path of the boiling water before slamming a shield up between himself and it - one which pulsed brightly, and held together.

Charging towards them, Umi saw the moment Tarta saw what was heading for her, too late to get away or do anything but pull her shield close to her head and hope; she also saw Clef raise his hands and frown in concentration ready to keep the water from actually hurting the Princess, and left that to him, focusing further ahead. The water hit and the middle of the field vanished in a cloud of steam as it struck Clef's shield, entirely blocking him and Tarta from view both from her, and from Tatra.

"Tarta!"

The moment of distraction was her chance - Umi sprinted past Clef and the defeated Tarta, sword trailing low to her side like Hikaru had taught her; Tatra yelled wordlessly and the whip howled through the air towards her face, but Umi kept running, and her faith was rewarded by Clef's shield slamming into place about her as she ran, turning the whip aside with a crackle of light, leaving it ice-limned and brittle between the spots charred dark.

Tatra snarled and dragged it back, glowing as it went, racing Umi back to her as it transformed back into the long sword; Umi concentrated again, and with another yell a second cyclone was whirling through the air to smash down over Tatra, this one not so overheated but still steaming; Tatra dodged backward. The water splashed heavily to the ground, churning grass and dirt into steaming mud, and that was where Tatra came forwards to meet Umi's challenge.

Just as she had planned.

/_Lightning, now!_/ She yelled back at Clef, gleeful that she didn't have to waste breath to do so. A flicker of comprehension came back, and then she felt the power he drew for the spell - felt, through the bond, the exact moment she needed to leap up and back, off the watery land, calling on that water as she did so to sit on the ground in a single united layer - running under Tatra's feet as she dodged sideways from the lightning, still trying to get to Umi.

The lightning struck the ground and lashed out through the water on it, ripping up though the air about Tatra, the head of some creature more visible this time. It wasn't a dragon after all, Umi realised, somewhere. It was more like the head of Clef's staff - then Tatra was crying out and falling to her knees, and the fight was over.

Umi ran forwards, healing magic flickering nervously at her fingertips. That bolt had been meant to disable, not to harm, but - she dropped to her knees, mud soaking instantly into the knees of the trousers she wore under her robe, and by the time she was reaching out to lift her Tatra was beginning to push herself upright.

Tatra's first anxious gesture was to look over to Tarta. Umi twisted, too, to see Clef helping her to her feet, shield and sword both misshapen blobs in her hands but otherwise unharmed, and Tatra relaxed again.

"We wouldn't hurt her, you know that!" Umi scolded, though she'd been worried herself a moment there. Tatra just smiled.

"I know you wouldn't, I worry anyway; she's my little sister."

"...Yeah." Umi sat back on her legs, watching the other two walk closer as Tatra sat up and retrieved her weapon. Clef looked fine. He looked _happy_. Far more than was probably proportional. They'd used their magic _better_, yes, but it was far from being under complete control, and in the heat of the fight she'd not thought at all about trying to hide the changes to her spells. More the opposite!

…So she should really stop feeling so pleased with herself.

"I hope you're satisfied with that, Umi, because it's all you're getting!" Tarta said, shoulders hunched as she waved about the mess her sword had become, and further as she looked down at Tatra. "...Sorry, sis."

Tatra's smile was glowing. "No need to apologise. We were both beaten fairly!"

"I doubt Umi's plan would have worked so well on you if you hadn't been distracted." Clef murmured, offering his hand to Tatra, and turning to Umi when the princess was on her feet and exclaiming at the mess her clothes had become. "...I was right."

"There's no need to be smug about it." Umi told him, curling her fingers with his to stand.

"You cast a shield." He said, grinning wider still. "Impressive - well, flawed, but- don't hit me, we're in company!"

Umi hit him anyway, in the shoulder, and then looked down at the mud and grass stuck to her clothes with a heavy sigh. "And they were new this morning!" She moaned, letting her sword flow back into her glove, then concentrating. Her clothes were replaced with a flash of light by a new set of robes, thin trousers, more like leggings really, under a long loose shift of soft grey, blue tunic and mantle over the top. Clef had brought a surprisingly large collection of jewellery in his ring; both the large round broach clasping mantle and tunic together and the long pin holding the sash at her waist came from it.

Tatra clapped. "Oh, that _is_ a handy spell! I think I prefer it to the transportation one! I will have to change clothes the long way, I'm afraid - Tarta, won't you show our guests to the reception room for some refreshment while I'm gone?"

"And a bathroom." Umi muttered, looking at her hands. "My clothes are clean, but _I'm_ still muddy." They'd only just had a drink, but even so running around in this heat had her craving another. She looked up just in time to see Tarta's pout.

"But I want to show Umi around!" The Princess said, obviously not bothered by the heat. Then again, why would she be? She was adjusted to it.

Clef shifted his weight from one foot to the other beside Umi as Tatra sighed at her sister. Hesitantly, he began to say "Well, I could-" but Umi cut him off before he could finish the thought.

"No, we're _not_ leaving you on your own! I want a drink anyway. The palace isn't going to run away in the next ten minutes!"

Tarta gave way, grudgingly, though she scowled back at the glare Umi gave her. "_Perfectly_ safe here, why you have to hover about him like a kid needing a nurse-"

"We weren't safe on Cephiro. Apologies if I offended you." Umi said, stiffly, but Tarta rolled her eyes and grabbed Umi's muddy arm, pulling her towards the palace, Tatra giggling behind them.

oOo

The reception room Tarta led them to was low in the palace, shaded from the sun at this hour by a tangle of vines hanging across the windows, letting in a soft flower-scented breeze. It was dim compared to outside, and the cool such a relief - Umi dropped down onto the cushions with a sigh and stretched her arms up, arched backwards until her shoulders _clicked_. When she looked up, both Clef and Tarta were watching her - until they met her eyes, then Clef looked down and folded himself onto the cushions, and Tarta looked away, wandering over to the window to sit on the ledge.

Tea was brought in, another of those beautifully tall, long-spouted teapots, with matching glass-bowled, metal-rimmed cups. There were sliced fruits again, fresh, the juice running down Umi's fingers when she tried a piece. Clef laughed softly, and pointed to a small glass bowl of water on the tray by the teacups. "That's for washing your fingers in, so you don't have to try summoning any water. I don't think the Princess would be impressed if we decorated her cushions with ice." He shot a look over at Tarta, still looking out into the garden and fiddling impatiently with her cup. "..._You_ might get away with it."

"What, after we beat her? I don't think so." Umi whispered back, licking her fingers then reaching for the bowl. The fruit was good, like an oversized papaya, firm but juicy and cool and not too sweet. Clef looked back at his tea. The cups showed off the light gold colour, paler than they had been drinking at the Venue; he was on his second cup already. "...If you drink too much tea _today_ and can't sleep, you'll get no sympathy at all." She warned him.

"I wasn't planning on it. Just enough to keep the headache away."

"...Headache?" Umi stopped drying her hands to stare at him.

"What, you thought there was any way I was going to avoid withdrawal headaches, the amount I drink?" He said, _far_ too casually.

"I think you should _stop drinking so much of it_, then!"

Clef rolled his eyes, entirely unconcerned. "I try to cut back every so often, it never works. Don't worry about it, Umi - you should drink up. Princess Tatra must be nearly here by now, and I doubt her sister is going to wait for you to finish. Not happily, anyway."

"Will you be..." She hesitated, then laughed, ducking her head. "Yes, you'll be fine with Tatra. You can get on with all those treaties or whatever - how do we still have things to debate with _Chizeta_ after all this time? No, don't answer that. Tarta is enough company for me. We'll only get in trouble with each other!"

"Try not to do that, either." Clef hid his grin unsuccessfully behind the glass cup. "After all, we're guests here. It wouldn't do to cause any problems."

"...But taking out half the garden is just fine?" Umi said, then gulped the rest of her drink as the doors opened for Tatra, and Tarta, as promised, leapt up.

oOo

Tarta walked swiftly through the Palace, hovering in the doorways with hasty explanations as Umi peered at the cool indoor gardens, the great conservatory with trees and huge flowers and brightly-coloured birds flying about near the glass ceiling. They looked like parrots, only they were mostly orange, and blue, and then Umi realised they were also the size of her torso and decided she didn't want to meet one any closer.

There were dozens more reception rooms; for different times of the day and the year, Tarta explained, depending on the temperature they would be and the guests being recieved, and when they weren't being used formally they were meeting rooms for the advisers and officials and any merchants who had business with the palace. The dining hall Umi had seen before, and the great hall beyond was so similar to the heart of the Bravada that she half expected to feel the vibration of the transport's engines through the floor.

But Tarta had somewhere she wanted to get to, and Umi followed obediently as they went higher up the palace. The doors she glanced through now hid bedrooms and bathrooms and private chambers, storerooms piled with cushions and sheets waiting to be used, and at the end of the corridor were two sets of doors, one to the right, one to the left, unlabeled bar the ornamented doorhandles she'd not spotted anywhere else.

Tarta led her through the left-hand door, into a suite of rooms. _Her_ suite of rooms, Umi realised, as Tarta tossed the damaged sword and shield down onto a low table, and spotted others hung on the walls. There were little elephant-like carvings sat on the tables and around the floor, ranging from ones barely an inch high to one as tall as Umi's knee, visible beside the bed through an open door.

Ignoring Umi for a moment, Tarta walked straight to the set of drawers at the back of the room and began to search through them. A moment later, she huffed and knelt on the floor by a chest and rummaged through that instead, spilling jewellery and scarves out onto the floor before coming up with a neatly wrapped package.

"This is - do you remember last year, when we came to Cephiro the day after your birthday party? I didn't know when it was, so we didn't have any present for you, but I saw this in the market a month later and I thought - here." Tarta thrust the package forwards. "This is for you."

Umi took it, bemused. The wrapping cloth was soft, a pale winter-sky blue with little gold stars embroidered here and there, and she sat on the nearest cushion to untie it carefully. She pulled the fabric back, and as the layers fell aside light glinted from finely wrought silver. "Oh, my..."

A dragon sat in her hands. It coiled about, a long body finely hinged in a circle, clasping its tail before it looped about again, head raised to stare out from the arm of whoever wore it. "This is beautiful, Tarta!" She said, lifting it and ignoring the slide of the fabric to the floor. "Wherever did you find it? Is it Chizetan?"

"No. We don't have many dragons in our art. I think it was originally from Fahren - it looks like the kid's ship, anyway." Tarta said, sitting down and reaching out for it. Umi handed it over reluctantly. The head was a little like that of the Doumu, certainly, but it was missing the antlers and the whiskers, and looked a lot more like Selece. Tarta showed her a catch on the inside of the claws, and loosened it; the tail slide through the claws, widening the circle. "It's meant to go on your arm, but if you're going to be wearing _that_ kind of thing - you can wear it as a necklace, too. Here." She handed it back, the tail pulled free so Umi could put it on.

"...Things like what?"

"_Cephiran_ things. They always have long sleeves!" That... was a mild exaggeration, but Umi knew what she meant. "You didn't have to wear them while you were _here_, you know! Or could the Mage's spell not make you things from your home?"

Umi blinked, startled. "No, it could have. I didn't even think to ask." She looked down at her outfit. "I've become so used to wearing things like this..."

"You've only been wearing them a week!" Tarta pointed out.

Twisting the dragon to examine it more closely, Umi kept her eyes down. "...I know." She said. "But - I've been seeing them for so long?" With a sudden determination, she looped the tail of the dragon back through the claws and slipped it over her right hand, pushing it just above her elbow. "Help me tighten it? The sleeves aren't _that_ wide, it should go over them. It'd be hidden by my collar if it was round my neck!"

"You like it, then?"

"Yes!"

Umi's voice shook a little, the word pronounced too hard, and Tarta grabbed her chin and tilted it up. Umi tried to glare back at her, but her muscles wouldn't co-operate, and her eyes were a touch too damp to be unnoticed at such close range. "What's wrong? ...Shouldn't I have mentioned your home?" Tarta demanded. "You've been away for a while, haven't you. I get it." She let go and stood up, turned away awkwardly, the usual fluid motion vanished. "We all get homesick. Your family - when Tatra's gone, sometimes..."

"I... don't miss it." Umi whispered. She looked down at her hands. This... she didn't dare think it with Clef in the same room, but he was a solid half-a-building away and her shields were solid about her thoughts like the ice had been earlier. She gripped her knees.

Tarta looked down, the motion heralded by a faint rustle of cloth. "You don't? Then why are you-"

"Because I should! But - but half the time I don't miss Japan at all, just Cephiro! My family's on Earth! My friends, school, everything! I should... I feel like I'm meant to be missing them more than this - if something happened back home while I was here, I... well, I don't know what I'd do. But I..."

"You don't long for it." Tarta muttered, and she was looking away again, something of her own pressing down on her shoulders. "That's - that doesn't have to be _bad_, Umi. You know you're going back in a few weeks. If it were for longer, you'd feel differently; or, well."

Umi found herself laughing; the sound wasn't bright. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Oi." Tarta dropped down in front of her, cross-legged, and pinched Umi's cheek. "None of that! You're my guest, you ain't allowed to mope about all over the place! That stuff... it kinda suits you."

"...Ow. Thank you. I think." Umi rubbed her abused cheek. "And thank you for the present." She added, more sincerely. "It's lovely, I'll treasure it."

"Good! Now, come on, I didn't drag you up here just for that - I thought you might like to see the armoury and the training hall?"

She had to grin.

oOo

Of _course_ Tarta would have her rooms near to the armoury. (Or the Armoury near to her rooms?) And of course Tatra would move hers to stay close to her little sister, at least for now. The Armoury was like Presea's storeroom, cluttered with all sorts of things just that bit different to what Umi was used to, and there was a door in the side which led to a balcony in the training rooms. "We use these in the winter, and for beginners." Tarta said, leaning on the wall and looking down on the group of young soldiers being drilled. Umi rested beside her, watching with interest.

"It's similar to this in Cephiro, I think. We've used the Guard's training rooms to practise - the three of us - because we can't do that with magic back on Earth. The mats have to go up the walls, as well. Fuu tore them all up once." She grinned. "LaFarga was moping for days. Well, when I say moping-"

"What's it like?" Tarta asked, suddenly. Umi looked up in confusion.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Liking someone." Tarta was looking down, expression drawn somewhat pensively, brash energy brought down to a simmer and turned inwards - until she looked straight at Umi. "You really do like him, don't you."

Umi looked away, flushing darkly and frowning. "Well."

"...I guess he doesn't look much like the djinn. I know you don't like them."

Umi pulled a face now. "All that body-builder macho style, ugh. _Not_ my type-"

"And he is." Tarta finished, almost shyly, though she grinned like she'd won something when Umi grumbled and said nothing. "...Well, he's not bad in a fight, at least."

Umi dropped her head to her arms, and sighed. "We're not..." She started, then trailed off. How to explain? She shook her head instead, and turned to tease her friend. "Well, what about you? Found a boyfriend who looks like the djinn yet?"

Instead of growing red like usual, Tarta glowered down at the trainees. "_No_."

Umi blinked, straightening up. "...Tarta?"

The princess huffed, but when Umi lay a hesitant hand on her shoulder, the stiffness folded back down into a slump. "No, I haven't, and I don't _want _one yet!"

"Well, that's..." Umi patted her shoulder, confused by the amount of trouble this apparently meant to Tarta. "Why is that a problem? You're young! Who needs a damn boyfriend, anyway?"

The slump grew more pronounced. "No one. But sometimes people are expected to wind up with a husband, and I'm not _that_ young, and I still don't-"

Blinking, Umi remembered suddenly that Chizeta was a monarchy. "Um. But, Tatra...?" She began, only for Tarta to shake her head.

"She's just - _Tatra_. I don't think she has anyone she likes. She just laughs when I ask her and tells me not to worry!"

"Is anyone else bothering you about it?" Umi asked, suddenly, and the gem in her glove began to glint where her hand rested on Tarta's back. But Tarta shook her head.

"No. Not yet."

Reaching forwards, Umi pinched Tarta's cheek, and a good half of the trainees looked up at the yelp she gave. They all turned away quickly enough though - the Princesses characters must be well known. "Then listen to your sister! She's scary-smart, so don't worry about it, and cheer up! You can't be sad, you have to entertain me, remember? Besides, if anyone makes a fuss, send them to me." She raised her fist in a promise. "I'll smush them if Tatra's not allowed to!"

Tarta stared for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Th-thank you, Umi!"

"Hey, stop laughing! I was being serious!"

"Come with me." Tarta managed to straighten up, breathless and red in the face; she beckoned Umi over to the stairs down into the room. "I want you to meet the head of the Guard. I think you'll get along."

oOo

Almost an hour later Umi flopped onto the rug beside Clef with relief, exhausted after a good argument with Tarta over the most useful type of sword. The head of the guard, a lanky woman with greying hair, had refused to get involved, and navigated her way about them to keep her class going when the argument reached the stage of demonstrations.

Tarta gave her an odd look as she poured a drink for Umi and herself, and Umi realised, belatedly, that with almost a whole room to choose from she'd sat down almost on top of Clef. She coloured, again; when would this kind of thing stop embarrassing her so _visibly_? But he'd looked across and grinned when they came in, and Umi hadn't even considered sitting anywhere else. "Hey, have you got anywhere?" She murmured, and Clef leant companionably against her side a moment with a smile, eyes flicking to the dragon about her arm.

"Just about. We're finishing up - you've gained a new dragon, I see."

"Mm. I'll show it off when you're done." She sipped her drink and sat back to watch.

"Ten." Clef said, louder, eying Tatra cautiously. She smiled at him.

"Fifty."

"...Fifteen."

"Forty."

"Twenty."

"Thirty."

"Twenty five?"

"Done." Her smile widened, but Clef didn't seem displeased as he wrote the figure down on a set of papers, signed it, and then traded with Tatra to sign her copy before he made his own disappear back into his ring. Tatra handed hers over to a hovering guard, who vanished with it out of the door.

"Twenty five what?" Umi asked.

Clef leant back on the cushions beside her, and stole her drink. "Twenty five years. The length of this trade agreement, if the Council ratifies it as it stands." He ignored Umi hitting him on the shoulder.

"I think our Parliament will be satisfied, at least. Our parents certainly should be." Tatra refilled her sister's half-drunk cup absently before seeing to a new one for Umi. "Was it a good tour?"

"Yes, Tarta showed me around the whole Palace, I think. The armoury was the most fun, though." Clef muttered something like 'well, there's a surprise,' but Umi decided to ignore it. If she took offense, she might have to move, and she was perfectly comfortable where she was. "...What does Cephiro trade with Chizeta?"

Umi was musing aloud, but Clef answered seriously. "That's what we've been trying to agree. Private individuals have their own trades, of course, but setting up a major agreement between governments for preferential import and export duties and the like is becoming more necessary as Cephiro's imports rise. But we're back to fabric again; Chizetan fabrics, especially the gauzes, are highly prized on Cephiro. In return, Chizeta takes great interest in gems of all kinds, but especially ones like that." He patted the back of Umi's gauntlet, and his hand lingered a moment before he pulled it back. "And Cephiro's resources for those things are not as... finite, as most places. It doesn't take millenia to create them."

"Handy." Umi murmured. "I've always dreamt of them working on Earth. But don't you have something similar? I mean, the two of you can summon your weapons, can't you?"

"Not easily." Tatra told her, as Tarta pouted and looked away. "And it only works for those of us with great power, whereas anyone can use one of the Cephiran stones as long as they own it."

"That's all very well," Tarta burst in, "but are you done now, sister? You're all supposed to be resting."

"Don't you think that sitting and enjoying a conversation with friends is resting? More than dashing about throwing things at each other?" Tatra smiled so brightly her eyes crinkled up as her sister spluttered.

Umi shuddered theatrically. "No more running about, _please_! I've done more dashing about today than I have for _weeks_."

"If you're so out of shape-" Tarta began, and Umi flicked a hand at her, water beginning to coalesce about her fingers; Tarta grabbed a pillow up to use as a shield, but before the dragon was half-formed Clef lunged forward and grabbed Umi's hand, knocking her back onto the oversized cushion, breaking her concentration. The water faded as she stared up at him, breath suddenly a little short.

"No attacking our hostesses. ...Unless it's an actual duel, anyway." He said, and didn't let go until she nodded. "Now, thank you for all your hospitality, your highnesses, but Princess Tatra is right, and we should take this opportunity to rest. Besides, I need to tell Cephiro about the terms of this agreement. Would you mind if we retired to our rooms now?"

Tatra blinked a moment, a tiny moment, before her smile came back into place, a laugh tucked away carefully behind it before Umi could do more than glimpse it. "Of course not. Dinner is served late, at dusk, so there is still plenty of time for you to make your calls home."

oOo

(Halfway along the corridor Clef blinked and realised what that must have _looked like_, spirits _wept_ - he didn't dare look Umi in the eye all the way back to the room, fighting to not go bright red.)

oOo

"Umi, Clef! Good to see you - I heard that some thing was...That isn't the usual background." Ferio said over the Comm, frowning at the view of the room beyond them.

"No, we're in Chizeta. The Conference has been suspended for a few days, and Princess Tatra was kind enough to offer us a place to stay for a few nights."

"Suspended?"

"There were security concerns..."

Ferio frowned. "Why do I suspect that you had something to do with this?"

"Well, it was our room that got blown up, but we didn't do it. And we weren't hurt." Clef skipped merrily across the question and ran on. "I've a potential trade agreement with Chizeta that the Council may as well be informed of now as when we return, but really we need to make some kind of report to LaFarga before Eagle manages to Comm. you and point out the assembly's taking a recess. Is he there? Or Lantis?"

"No, LaFarga's on patrol, but Lantis is just down the corridor running drills with the latest trainees. I sent someone to fetch him when the station said who was calling. That should give you just enough time to congratulate me on my newly official post." He grinned, eyes crinkling.

"The vote went through, then? You're Castellan?" Clef asked, relaxing back into his chair.

"Yep! They made me keep the Prince title, though." Ferio grew solemn. "For Emeraude's sake, they said. You tried to warn me they would, but... we even have a new Sol, now, it doesn't seem _fair_."

"Let it be for now, Ferio." Clef advised, gently. "It's making things easier for people to adjust."

"I know. Lantis has never complained, either, but, still - anyway. So I'm now _officially _the person signing off your pay, Umi!"

"Congratulations. Is that good news for me?" She asked, picking up his teasing tone, and getting a smirk in response.

"I'd say so. No one else would understand why you need to be paid so much for putting up with Clef!"

"Ah. _Many_ congratulations, then."

Clef's retort to the both of them was cut off by Lantis entering the room, and he restrained himself to glaring back at Umi while Ferio was kicked out of the Comm chair and left the room. (The effect really was ruined when she could _tell _he wasn't angry.)

Lantis proceeded to spend the next ten minutes verbally chasing both of them around the subject of what had happened to send them to Chizeta - when Clef finally distracted him with his suspicions that Kuregu was once again adverse to their presence, Lantis looked darkly unsurprised and told them to watch themselves. They escaped the conversation with very few details handed over and a promise to make a 'full' report when they were returned, and not talking over a line which could be monitored.

oOo

There was still time before tea, but Clef seemed determined to _work_ through it, summoning the jumbled pile of papers which represented the agreements he'd made on Cephiro's behalf so far, and others he'd half written in hope that they would be complete before the end of the Conference, and began to sort through them. "In case I've forgotten anything we could get arranged while I'm here." He muttered, without being prompted, spreading paper across the floor about himself.

Umi twisted the end of her sash about, and flopped back onto the bed. "Clef - I've been wondering."

"Do you ever stop?" He shook his head at her, mock-irritated. "All the time, asking questions."

"Well, I love Cephiro so much, but I really don't understand her at all." The gauze hung from the ceiling was drifting softly back and forth, the layers building shifting patterns. "You never seem to mind."

"You usually ask thoughtful questions. What is it this time?"

"It's about Ferio. I know that being Castellan means he's in control of the castle, and that it's important because it's meant to be neutral ground for all the people to come and talk to the government, for the government to be run. But there's something else, isn't there."

The sound of Clef searching through the things he'd summoned cut out. "Why do you think so?"

"You're too pleased, both of you. Your... tone. It has something to do with the money, doesn't it. He said he really does pay us now - I know he was looking after what the palace needs, but you're paid by the government, aren't you? The Pillar provided for all the mages and judges and guards before, because in turn you helped everyone you could. So..."

"The treasury is in the castle. As Castellaen, Ferio's in charge of the treasury. The Council can authorise spending, of course, but he can object if it's unfeasible, and getting the right pay out to everyone in the public system, then giving the budgets out for the development of the various sectors..."

"...Yes, that would be something a bit more than just providing towels and sheets in all the castle bathrooms." Umi said, propping herself up on her elbows. The littlest smirk she'd seen dashed smugly across Clef's face, pennant high; "...There was a reason you didn't talk about it before. With any of us."

"He didn't want Fuu to know until he'd got it. She's a lot on her mind at the moment, with these University Exams you're all studying for. So we were all trying to ...minimise the importance a little. But you can't underestimate the power of being the one to provide hospitality, either: in a lot of ways, the Castellan is the real representative of Cephiro. Everyone who visits lands at the castle, at least officially. Yes, I know you three Knights don't count. You're too bizarre, turning up in the middle of the Audience Chamber or the middle of the _ocean_." ('We did that one time!' Umi hissed, and was blithely ignored) "But everyone else, which means he has the right to speak to everyone."

"I... suppose that's what he's been doing ever since Emeraude. As her brother - as the Prince, because there was no one else with the time and the right... kinds of ability." She frowned at that. "Why _isn't_ Ferio a mage, anyway? He's strong willed."

Clef folded back onto the closest cushion, laughing quietly. "I shouldn't encourage you, should I. All you do is find three more things to ask!"

"Aw, but you _know _you want to tell me..."

"He's never asked." Clef said, and managed to shrug in spite of being laid almost flat. "And, yes, he has a fairly strong will. I assume he just doesn't want to have magic. There are a lot of people like that, and also, his sister had so much, and it didn't help her in the end..."

"So you have to ask, then? Magic has to be granted even if you're born in Cephiro?" She nudged him away from that shadow, still curious. The more she knew, the more she seemed to _want_ to know. "Like you did for us?"

"The first kind, yes, usually. The spell doesn't give you magic, exactly, it opens your heart up to Cephiro's power so her magic can become part of you, and you can use it. Once it's been done the first time, people can normally open themselves up to a few similar kinds, at least - types of magic _too_ alien to that they know might have to be granted again, but that just means getting someone to push that kind of power into you long enough for you to grab it yourself."

He was warming to the topic, the forgotten papers scattered about him. "A small number of people manage to open themselves up, usually when they're fairly young, quite often because they're in trouble and call out instinctively. If they're strong enough, Cephiro answers. Ascot was like that - his summoning power. Lantis, too - though he'd not have been in danger if he hadn't been _trying_ to get himself there so he could start using magic and keep up with Zagato. We have to teach anyone who asks, but there's an age you have to reach before we're allowed to grant it, and Lantis wasn't there yet."

"...Do you know how Ascot...?" Umi asked, only half listening to the memory of Lantis - storing it to think about later. She was busily remembering Ascot as they'd met, how small and lost he'd been.

Clef propped himself up to meet her eyes. "That's not my story to tell you." He said, gently.

"I - yes, of course. Sorry, I didn't mean to - did _you_ need to be taught?"

She couldn't believe he had even as she asked, and his laugh was answer enough.

"I got lost on a clifftop in a thunderstorm. I was _very_ small - the Pillar must have been falling, or something, but I can't remember now. I just remember knowing I was going to be in _so much trouble_ if I was hurt, and then the lightning hit me and I... wasn't. Not a very glamorous tale."

"Oh."

"Was that it for now? I really wanted to get through this before dinner, if possible... besides." He looked back the way she was draped across the bed. "Shouldn't you be studying for those exams some more?"

"...You _had_ to remind me, didn't you."

oOo

That evening saw them at a long slow meal with the Princesses and the entire Royal Household, leisurely hours spent making up for the light snacks earlier, all that could really be managed in the heat. The dining hall was the very heart of the Palace, a great round room encircled by a wide bench, the ceiling clear glass showcasing the slow revelation of the stars. The bench - or maybe it was best described as a platform - was draped with rugs and enough cushions for everyone to prop themselves against the wall if they wished, and servants took turns carrying trays of food about, or replenishing drinks. Everyone helped themselves to what they wanted off the platters, talking freely, the room filled with cheerful voices and with music, when the group of musicians weren't taking a break to eat their own food. It was far from the formality Umi had seen on the Bravada - but this was _home_, not a warship, and the Princesses led the chatter.

The wide circle of floor was covered with intricately patterned tiles, and when the musicians played people took turns at stepping out and dancing to the music; alone or in small groups, they laughed and bowed to the Princesses and danced for the sheer joy of the movement. Umi couldn't help thinking of the Ball - before midnight, when it was simple to enjoy it - and lost the thread of conversation more than once. But even if she hadn't been worn out and incredibly hungry, these dances were none of them things she knew, or would attempt with an audience.

She had carefully, carefully, sat further from Clef than before, closer to Tarta, in fact. But as the meal went on and the music became more constant, she leant back against the cushions, more than half way to asleep, and the gap began to vanish as she listed sideways.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Tarta laughed, and Umi blinked her eyes open to find she was less than a foot away from leaning on Clef's arm, and shoved herself upright.

"I'm here, I'm here - what were you saying?"

"That you should _go to bed_. You all have to get up early to leave again, don't you? 'Sides, you're already most of the way asleep."

Umi scrubbed her hands across her face. "I'm fine, don't bother about it." She said, and flinched badly when Clef's hand landed on her shoulder, pushing her towards the edge of the platform.

"Her highness has a point. We may as well get what decent sleep we can now; once we get back to the Venue there won't be so much time for relaxing."

"Who spent today _relaxing_?" Umi grumbled, but slid down to the floor and waited for Clef to finish bowing to both Tarta and Tatra. "Night, everyone - you'll see us off tomorrow, right, Tarta?"

Tarta nodded. "Of course, you're my guests! And I have to wave Tatra off or she comes to wake me up and say goodbye anyway."

"So I'll see you then."

A cool breeze ran through the hallways as they walked back, the two of them alone in the soft shadows, and when they reached the doors to their rooms Umi hesitated by hers, too long for it to go unnoticed with anything but deliberate effort on Clef's part as he walked on and opened his, then turned back to smile. "Good night, Umi." He said, and shut the door behind himself.

It was a whole conversation enacted without a word. The door between their rooms would still stand open, she knew, but it was hardly the same as sharing, and – no. This was fine. If he had another nightmare, she could always move again.

She washed and changed and tried not to flinch too hard when the shield spread from Clef's side of the suite to wrap about her rooms as well, and flopped back into her bed with all the grace of a deboned fish, rather grumpily certain she wasn't going to be able to sleep quickly tonight, either. But Umi underestimated the sleep debt still owing, and the way she had relaxed now they were somewhere safe. Besides, since the afternoon the itch of magic in her chest had begun to settle down further, without her noticing until now, when there was nothing to distract her. The tie between Clef and herself was quieter, too; better shields or something else, she didn't know, but she felt quiet, and was out before many minutes had passed.

oOo

Umi slept deeply, heavily, and at some point she began to dream.

She stood in a massive hall, carved out of living rock, the whole place bathed in blue-grey light. It was incredibly familiar, and welcoming, though she couldn't think for a moment where it was. Clef stood by her side, looking about with wide eyes, looking bewildered. But where had she been that Clef had not?

But oh, yes - the memory slid into place. The water temple, beautiful and echoing tall, high vaulted. She smiled, and that was when Clef started: he was looking over her shoulder, back towards where the relief had stood, and he reached for her hand as she felt the wash of that ancient magic sweep over her. She turned, smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt, and reached out a hand to Selece as he bowed his head down to her.

The moment her hand rested against his warm-smooth scales he was there again, inside, an extra star generating warmth in her heart. /_Greetings, again, little one_/ his voice boomed, huge as ever, but somehow gentle for this moment. /_I am sorry it has taken so long to reach you._/ She sighed, and rested her forehead against his for a long, long moment before leaning back to look at him, so very welcome.

"Don't apologise, it wasn't your fault." She told him.

"If anything, it was mine," muttered Clef, behind her, and she turned back to him - but he was so busy staring up, wide-eyed, at the mass of the dragon coiled about them that he didn't react. She tugged on his hand until he looked back down, and couldn't help but grin at the awestruck look on his face. She'd seen that look on him only before - when he first gave them magic, and again when they told him that the three of them were choosing to fight for Cephiro.

This was a _much _better reason to see it.

/_To have become reduced to seeking you in your dreams-_/ Selece continued, voice too great to be _rueful_ but distinctly unimpressed with himself, /_I have been questioning Mokona's wisdom in taking us so far from you; but I have found you again now._ _My apologies for my tardiness; even for we Mashin, it is not a small thing to know another's heart so completely._/

"I know. I remember my trial." Umi told him.

/_The difference is not so great, and yet - I have never had a Knight bind themself to another before. It was not something I thought to expect, though I should; you have always been exceptional._/ His head came forwards a little further, to within a foot of Clef. Selece waited until Clef raised his hand and lay it on the dragon's nose before speaking again. /_Do you not agree, little mage?_/

"I- yes." Clef still looked like he was struggling to get his brain into the right gear, but he smiled anyway at the touch of scales under his fingers. "There was something... important, there. In what you said. To know-"

As they watched, Clef suddenly came into focus, eyes widening, and he turned to Umi without bothering to let go of Selece. "That's it!"

The hall shook, and dust began to rain down from the high ceiling. Selece flared a wing out over them, keeping it off, as the dream began to crumble. "What is?"

"What I've been missing!"

"What - about the assassin?" Umi grabbed his arms as the floor shook harder, not the rolling sideways jarring of an earthquake but something far less natural, the two of them waking up. "But we haven't any evidence, Clef, you _can't _know who the assassin is." If he was waking her up for some piece of _dream logic-_

"I don't," he told her, eyes bright. "But I think we might know someone who does."

oOo

end chapter eighteen

oOo

Kakuen boujo: This is the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji CLAMP use for Clef's shield spell, when he yells cresta, though I think in the anime he actually says kakuen boujo anyway? ^^; I'm ignoring that! This fits better with my language-use-magic-theme, anyway. XD It means shell round protective-shield, essentially.

p.s. Yes, we're STILL on Chizeta. I am BEWILDERED by how long this section actually is, all written out – three chapters! It was meant to be one! And we're still here! My glee that, while the wordcount is going to be more than triple the original aim, the amount of chapters wasn't going to increase much – that glee is fading. Oh well.

(It's… a little bit of a cliffhanger, sorry. I'll have the next chapter up earlier if possible! Any guesses who he means? :D)


	19. Chapter 19

I am _so sorry_ about the wait over this one, people – by the time I had finished it, my beta had no time to look at it, and she was seriously needed here – these chapters are so much better after she has pointed out the things which only make sense in my head, the things which don't make sense anywhere, the things I forgot – and the places where I can just _be better_. And then she stayed up til three the night of the Dr Who half-season finale to help me work on it instead of rewatching the episode a dozen times! (THANK YOU.)

(She's entirely not to blame for the goofy titles. Those are me alone! XD)

Given the wait, I've also moved the chapter end on rather, so you at least get more words for your time than was the case? XD (Half the reason it took me so long to write was that I kept changing my mind on where the chapter would end, trying to balance this and the _next _one. I finally think I know how I'm doing it with this one long, how I wanted it in the beginning. XD)

I'm getting reviews – for which, thank you, seriously, even when I'd finished this chapter and was waiting they got me moving on the next, and that's how the end could be expanded so quickly – but still struggling to log in for more than a few minutes. Though! We have worked out WHY there are problems – they are updating the phonelines. To give us better internet.

…There is a flaw in their plans here somewhere. But they have to stop it soon! There can't be many lines LEFT.

Seriously, thank you to all of you who are reading, and again for reviewing! (No one guessed who they're actually going to talk to – or, uh, the other things in this chapter. Things are, as the title says, beginning to condense. XD)

And now – this is getting ridiculously long, but, a request! Over the next month or so I am _going_ to get around to editing the first chapters, which will inevitably involve a little rewriting - the original version will stay here, and the revised version go up on the AO3 as it's sorted. At least, this is my plan. Any suggestions of things to not miss editing?

(Punctuation and grammar coming in line with later chapters is a given, hopefully. LaFarga's name being the same throughout, too. XD;;;; Plus the stolen markers for scene breaks - I cannot believe I forgot ffn rips double punctuation for so long. . AND I think there's a chapter where the lines between paragraphs disappeared? I mean to sort out the pov-switching issues, and sort the chapters into more even lengths where possible - I was deluding myself that 3000 word chapters would go through the whole thing. XD Anything else people can remember tripping over, this month would be the time to mention it. ^^)

oOo

Chapter Nineteen: Condensation

oOo

Clef jolted awake, fighting off the sheets which had tangled about his hand when he reached for Umi - and she wasn't there. His head spun, but his memory of the not-really-dream was sharp, that thought fixed in his head. "By the - how could I be so stupid?"

"What's up?" Umi murmured groggily through the doorway. Early morning light was filtering in through the curtains and the shield, letting him see her stumble through, yawning helplessly. Her thoughts were reaching out, a soft subconcious battering at his own, trying to understand - and then she woke up a few degrees more and pulled in behind the shield he had taught her. For a moment, he regretted the loss of the touch.

Then _he _woke up far enough to toss the distracted thought aside and look away from her. He abandoned the bed for the Comm, flicking it to life. "Mikke." He said, shortly.

"What? Clef, she was arrested before the explosion took place, she can't be the bomber!"

"No, but at the same time, yes." He sent a call through. Umi came up and leant on his shoulder at the same moment the Cephiran Station came up.

"You're making no sense." She muttered.

Clef ignored her, the technician didn't hear. "The Castle, please. I want to speak to Palu Ascot." The thorny screensaver began to unfurl, and Clef deigned to look up at her. "Remember how you first heard of Mikke?"

"She's the one who spoke to Ascot." Umi said, slowly so she had time to think it through. "The one who made him angry."

"Exactly. I think-"

The Comm interrupted. It flashed up the now-familiar backdrop of the Guard's room, though it was Ferio smiling at them. "Hi Clef, Umi. Ascot's being fetched, he'll be here in a moment. How are you both? Still in one piece?"

"Just about. What are you up to in the Guard's office again?" Clef asked.

"I'm observing all aspects of day-to-day life in the Castle so I can improve my management techniques now I've been appointed Castellan officially." He rattled off. Umi stared, Clef doing the same beside her, and Ferio held his face straight for about ten seconds before folding into a laugh. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Umi shook her head. "Like you've been listening to Fuu doing her business homework."

"Well." Ferio smiled, one of those looks not aimed at the people he was speaking to, then recovered himself and went on. "Okay, I'm hiding from Lantis. He wants me to drill the newbie guards again, but my shoulders are still sore from yesterday! This is the last place he'll expect me. Plus, the wards on this room will block any tracking spells he casts."

"And as soon as his tracking spell returns no result, he will know exactly where you are." Clef pointed out.

"...Huh."

"Unless you know how to break into my rooms, at least. Those are the only two points in the castle warded that heavily."

"I thought that the council chamber...?"

"Not yet, because it's hard to cast a spell through them to create a map of Cephiro, or anything of the kind. Which would be why my study is also not that heavily guarded."

"So, just your bedroom?" Umi spoke without really meaning to, and Clef tilted back to look at her, ignoring Ferio's laugh - which, yes, she could think of a half dozen bad jokes she'd opened up then.

"Not my idea, but LaFarga insisted when they kept pointing trackers at me. I've the same level of warding over us here, but then we aren't casting through them."

"But we transported through them."

"O- My magic, remember? The wards at the castle are kept in place by the guards. I don't always have time or the energy to keep mine in place there." Umi frowned, wanting to ask how he'd expected to keep them up after the blast, then, but Ferio was watching with great interest. "...We can go into it later, if you want." He offered, catching the thought.

"We've certainly tested these enough against those damn tracking things." She muttered, turning back to the screen in time to see the levity drop entirely from Ferio's expression.

"Any news on that front?" He asked them, looking closely from one to the other.

"That's why I need to speak to - Ascot! Finally! I'm glad to see you - what have you done to your hand?"

Ascot shuffled in through the door behind Ferio, hiding his bandaged knuckles too late. He coloured but shook his head. "It's nothing, I'm fine. You needed me?"

"Yes. I need to know what the Dleivan secretary asked you, when she called through before we left. Mikke."

He flushed harder, but he switched with Ferio to face them head on. "I remember. She called to confirm the booking, went through general information about you - both of you, that is. Name, occupation, residence, nationality."

Clef slumped against his chair, making Umi drop an inch. "Was that it?" But Ascot was frowning.

"...No. That was when she began talking, and, well. That was when I got angry." He said it so frankly. "After that she asked a few security questions. What sort of powers you had, both of you, what your weapons could do. I told her I didn't believe you'd have any weapon, Clef, and that Umi's sword was just a sword, which was half a lie, but the rest - I should have asked you." Green eyes went startlingly clear as he looked straight through the thousands of miles between them. "It was an odd question, now I think about it, but I was mad, I didn't want to talk to you. And I was in here. I sent a readout of your auras." Ascot sighed now, rubbing one hand over his face. "Sorry, Clef. I can't believe I was so stupid."

It fell into place for Umi, then - _that_ was how the assassin had been able to target her, without all the testing they'd done to find Clef's magic. If it had taken a while to acquire the information from Mikke, that would explain the lack of any attempt, testing or otherwise, when they first got to the Venue - she had messed up their plan by coming along. Then those two searching attacks before the explosion - to check the information was accurate before they committed to the bomb?

Clef's voice was gentle as he replied. "Don't worry about it, Ascot. We have not been harmed, and I don't doubt Mikke would have dragged the information she wanted from somewhere. It was her job, after all."

"Was?" Ferio raised an eyebrow. "You haven't ended her... _career_, have you?"

"Well, given she is a prisoner awaiting trial..." Umi said when Clef glared instead of answering.

"Ah. Only literally, then."

"Yes," Ascot said, still looking unhappy, "but-"

"It's fine." Clef insisted, and Umi nodded hard to back him up. Ferio joined in by patting Ascot's shoulder - though he'd definitely been spending too much time training; Ascot winced and slid out of the chair.

"Was that all you needed me for? Only I left Yaris helping to pick the Gia, and he doesn't always remember to listen to people who aren't me, so I should probably get back..." He looked at Umi directly for the first time when Clef agreed. "I'm glad you're both well."

Umi was suddenly very conscious of how close she was leaning on Clef, both of them in nightclothes. She stayed still. "Thank you, Ascot." She said, quietly, and his quiet smile had very little to do with the preceding conversation, then he left. Ferio took the chair again, but before he could say anything Ascot reappeared in the doorway. "Prince, I think Lantis is looking for you. Should I tell him where you are?"

"NO! I, um, no thanks, Ascot. I'll go and... find him, after this. Don't bother about it!" Ascot's expression was beautifully dubious, but he vanished again, and this time he stayed gone. "Right. Is that how they targeted you with those trackers? By your power signatures? It meant something, Clef, I saw your face as he said it."

"Negation bomb." Clef admitted. "And they set a shield outside mine about the room to hold the blast in so they could use heavy explosives. But it didn't work, as you can see."

"A Negation- how in the world did you get out of that?" Ferio launched upright, hands white on the edge of the desk like that was the thing stopping him reaching through the screen and dragging more information from Clef, instead of the laws of reality. "Don't you dare tell me it didn't go off or something, I will _not_ believe you-"

Clef rocked back in his chair at the fury of Ferio's response, startled. "Was I really getting that bad?" He asked softly, then glanced up at Umi, wide eyed. "...I'd have told them about a Negation Bomb. I know I would."

"We avoided mentioning it earlier, apparently, so I'm not saying anything." She told him, but gripped his shoulder tighter. "I don't think you actually meant to hold that back, but you dug your heels in when Lantis started asking stuff."

"...True. Aren't you meant to be the voice of reason when I do that?" He tilted back into her.

"What, given I did the exact same thing? I think you're being a bad influence."

"Instead of you a good one?" He asked, and she nearly choked swallowing down a laugh, only faintly bitter.

Ferio was still watching intently, but he wasn't leaning so far anymore. "I'm sorry, Ferio." Clef told him. "I'd have reported an escalation like that if it happened in Cephiro. Now, we have Kuregu's guards on the alert, and Eagle Vision and Princess Tatra both know the truth of the matter. Well, on the Venue, at least. _Here_ it's the Chizetan guard and both Princesses. That was the attack which lead to the recess."

"I know you'd reported an attack which lead to a large amount of destruction, but there was a message from Eagle about a fight with a horde of monsters. I thought that was it. And I know the Guards think the same."

Clef winced. "That, ah, was the next evening. After the recess had been announced but before the transports could get to us. I hadn't even thought to mention _that_, to be honest. So much was happening... I'll have a full - a report for the guards on both by tonight." Umi hit him on the shoulder; they were going back to the Venue today, and if they were going to go see what relationship Mikke had to the bomber when they got there, that wasn't really going to be good report-writing time. Clef looked up at her, pulled a face, then back to Ferio. "Within a day, anyway. Umi's right, we've got to go question Mikke, or get Kuregu to do it for us. After that, there might be some real _progress_ to report."

"Don't forget to sleep a _decent _amount as well." Ferio said, wry, looking at the pyjamas they wore. "I'll tell LaFarga and Lantis what you've said, you don't have to wait and get yelled at again. Is there anything else critical you've forgotten to mention? No? We should be good for a day then." He paused, then; "how _did_ you survive it?"

"We... pooled our resources?" Clef's shrug pressed his shoulder up into Umi's hand. "They, whoever they are, weren't expecting a combined effort. It was a rather shoddy thing, only spelled to each of us alone, so when we cast a shield in the same space and moment it couldn't get through. Knocked us about a bit, though. And if you want more detail than that, you'll have to steal the next report we send in, too."

Ferio flushed and shut the folder Umi hadn't even spotted open on the desk before him. "Fair enough. Good luck."

"Say hi to Hikaru and Fuu and everyone for us." Umi said, Clef's hand hovering over the disconnect button. "...Maybe don't mention the explosions until we're home safe, though."

Ferio grinned, and the screen went blank.

oOo

They both took a moment to get dressed before they made the next call, and Clef glared at the Dleivan Comm. Tech until he was put directly through to Kuregu. They waited together impatiently, for the screen to blink to life; when it did, Kuregu was frowning, and his second, Chrissy, wasn't as neatly polished as usual. Clef rather hoped they'd had to wake up for the call. "Honourable Representative. Apologies for the hour, but we leave shortly, and will not be able to speak with you while in transit. I am calling to petition for an interview with the prisoner Mikke immediately on our return to the Venue later today."

Kuregu raised one sardonic eyebrow. "Oh? Am I to understand that you doubt my officers in the matter of-" But Clef shook his head, cutting him off.

"There is no point in keeping up the petty bickering, Kuregu. We're not here about that; we've found out that when she spoke to Cephiro before the Ball, she demanded a full aura scan of myself and the Lady Knight. You know what that means."

"...You believe that is the source of the information used in the negation bomb." Kuregu frowned. "It certainly was not information asked for by me or any of our security detail."

"No, and if she hadn't been dealing with someone with no previous experience of the conference she wouldn't have got the information. But she did, and it _was_ used. Mikke was selling information gathered while pretending to serve your ends, Kuregu, and continued disruption of the Table is not going to do you or us any good. Let us speak to her."

"...Your petition is granted, Clef of Cephiro, as long as I and my people are also privy to the conversation."

Clef snorted. "It's your prison cell. It'd take far too much effort to stop you."

"We will see you later today, then." Kuregu said, and the Comm. went dead.

Umi's hands tightened on Clef's shoulder. He'd not even noticed her take hold. "Back into the thick of it, I guess. He'd have stayed on the line to gloat if he'd caught the assassin, wouldn't he."

"I expect so. Besides, given how little he likes us, I suspect he'd rather cheer them on. Or at the very least get out of their way." Tilting back in the chair, Clef studied what he could see of her. "We've better control now, but we'll have to remember to use as little magic as possible. What doesn't go wrong might well give us away. Our main line of defence has to remain your sword. Are you ready for that?"

"Not really. But I'll give it my best." She shrugged, and Clef was glad he was sat down. If he'd been standing by her then, he'd have held her.

"...Thank you. Again, for all of this - being here with me."

Her hand went so tight her knuckles were white for a moment. "Nowhere else I want to be." She murmured, then she spun away and headed for the door to her hardly-used suite. "Time to pack. Tatra will be here for us soon, and then we're off again. And - uh. You should probably send _that_ back home." She pointed to his staff, leant nonchalantly in the corner. He'd... inferred that he'd actually sent it back to Cephiro when it vanished after the fight, as he probably should have done, but it was half-hidden behind the drifting curtains. He couldn't help blushing, and she turned far enough to see it.

"I know, don't worry, I'm not going to walk into the Assembly with it. However tempting. I just- oh, go away!" He hissed, as she grinned at him.

Left alone, he sighed, then walked over to pick it up. The staff was smooth under his hands, the weight of it familiar, the faintest vibration of power running through it and resonating with the pressure of Cephiro which had lived in his heart for such an age of changes, always steady. If he concentrated on that brightness, he could almost trick himself into not feeling _her_ tangled through him.

Clef resisted the urge to hit himself on the head with the damn thing, and concentrated - _carefully _- on getting the spell right to set it back where it should be, in the corner of his study.

(Hopefully Ascot was still in the gardens, not there to be startled by the arrival. If he got back to find his staff broken where some reflex-summoned creature had landed on it...)

oOo

It was still early enough that the flowers were dew-damp, glistening in the hazy morning light. Drops fell like a sudden shower of rain as the Transport came down, the wind of its passage making the leaves dance even as far back as they stood, with Tarta and Tatra and the full bevy of guards due to return to the Venue.

Umi forced herself to stop fidgeting foot to foot as the Guards loaded the luggage, and Tarta gave her sister a slew of orders which were merely smiled at before Tatra pushed her over to Clef and to Umi, who bit her lip, fighting down impatience which was echoed in the drumming of Clef's fingers against his leg. With Selece strong at her back, she felt ready to face _anything_, and she wanted to _get on with it_.

(And, the thought was small, well hidden, she was ready to return to the privacy of their shared room where Clef couldn't shut her _away_ even as the power between them grew less overwhelmingly informative and he learnt to shut her _out_.)

Tarta shook Clef's hand easily enough, then hesitated in front of Umi for maybe half a second before they both grinned and hugged each other, abandoning polite formality just as usual. "You have to come back and take a _real_ holiday here, soon!" Tarta insisted, pulling away. "Bring the other Knights, too. You can even bring the Mage, if you really want to."

"He can carry all the shopping when you take us round the markets." Umi promised with a laugh. "I'll steal all his jewellery so he actually has to carry them too. See you soon, okay?"

"You'd better!" Tarta grinned - but then she hugged Umi again, arms tighter than before. Her voice dropped low, for Umi alone. "If you get hurt by some upstart assassin, I will _never_ let you live it down." Umi returned the embrace just as tightly in gratitude until Tarta pulled back and stalked off to the bottom of the ramp, and waved half-heartedly at them as they embarked.

For the first time since this break had begun, Umi found herself missing Fuu and Hikaru as violently as she ever had. Clef paused long enough to wrap their hands together and lean into her shoulder wordlessly before he took himself off to his seat, wrapping himself up tightly inside his head ready to ignore his body and the world containing it for the duration of the flight in a forced drowse.

The Transport was once more the strange bulbous thing which had brought them to Chizeta. It was better set up for passengers than the utilitarian thing Clef had scared up for them, but Clef apparently felt just as bad in this as the other. He fled into sleep within moments of the journey beginning, leaving Umi alone and feeling awkwardly like she should be asking Tatra about - well, Tarta's worrying.

It was a little embarrassing, and a whole lot of _not her business_, and how on Earth would she _put_ it? But she couldn't forget the strain on Tarta's shoulders, the way she'd folded in on herself, like Hikaru could, sometimes. It... nagged at her.

Fortunately Tatra was observant to the point of almost psychic. "I think you may have startled my sister with your new closeness to Master Clef. She is used to thinking of you as a young friend, and as very much like herself. I think she forgets, when you are not with us, how much quicker you had to grow up than we have done, even how much faster your _people_ grow up than ours."

Touching a hand to the dragon coiled about her arm, over the robes which shouldn't feel so comfortable, Umi bit her lip, and replied carefully. "I... don't think she was worried about me, so much."

"No, she was worried you are getting ahead and leaving her behind. Don't fret over Tarta, Umi. She is well loved. Whatever comes to pass, it will be alright for her, and she'll understand that when she stops panicking."

"I... see. I think." There was a headache threatening at her temples from thinking too hard while the ship hummed softly about them. "I hate it when things get complicated." She hissed.

Tatra laughed quietly, a kind of deliberation to the way she _didn't_ look across to where Clef slept. "No, Umi. You don't."

oOo

They descended from the Transport and found Chrissy waiting for them by the doors. Four uniformed guards stood statue-still behind her, faces invisible behind their mirrored visors. Tatra murmured a farewell and left them, sweeping indoors with her retinue, leaving them to their interview.

The silent guard escorted them up and down stairs, along identical corridors, to an area of the building which had no windows, and none of the plants or decoration of the public levels. The air in the final corridor was heavy, and still. Umi could hear a faint whispering from all about them, voices just beyond audible level muttering in tones she couldn't understand. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and she walked a careful half-pace behind Clef, keeping her hands free.

The power in those wards grew stronger still as they were shown into a small room, with chairs for two people to sit opposite the woman who was led in, chains about her wrists and her ankles, a spell written onto her neck, blue ink layered over older black, and brown, and more blue, alien characters ringing her throat. Umi imagined having to stay still while someone pressed a pen to her skin, tying her down with ink, hemmed in by the constant whispering... she shuddered, and drew closer to Clef, deliberately loosening her shields a fraction.

Chrissy pulled one chair to the side and sat in it to watch, leaving Clef to sit opposite her with Umi stood to attention behind him, and two harried looking aides with recording equipment kept themselves squeezed into one corner. Mikke looked a little pale, but clean and clear-headed despite the circumstances - Umi hadn't known quite what to expect, but apparently she'd been wondering about castle dungeons with rats and mildew, not converted storage space.

However creepily converted.

Mikke didn't look surprised to see them. "Come to gawp at the girl in the cage?" She asked. Clef ignored the taunt.

"You requested an aura scan of myself and the Water Knight when you spoke to my apprentice, and then you sold it. Who bought copies of that information?"

She threw her head back and laughed, the chains jangling about her. "Oh, really, Master Clef! Far more than one person bought such useful information from me. You have a lot of enemies to your list."

"Was Brooke one of them?" Umi asked, quietly, Clef's expectant silence enforcing her right to ask. Mikke rolled her eyes and nodded.

"A mistake, doing business with that one, but he promised a lot. I'll see none of it now, of course, but it was a nice dream. A place of my own away from Dleivus and all the stinking politicians."

Umi nodded, certain now of her guess. "He threatened to turn you in for selling it. That's why you agreed to try to poison me, and why you were arguing with him."

"He'd have been in trouble too for buying, but said he'd get away with it, claim he'd only done it so that he had proof, that he had immunity as a Representative. I think he was mad. He really thought he was a hero, and you lot the enemy." Mikke shrugged. "I should have vetted him better before dealing with him, but I was on a roll, and I had already sold that information on to half the conference. It was to be my final job before getting the hell away from all of this, and hope made me stupid."

Clef waved a hand and summoned paper and pen. "Give us the names, then. Everyone you sold that information to."

Mikke blinked at him. "You think I'll remember them all?"

"Information is your strength, or was, at least. Isn't that so?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

"...That's so." She took the pen, and began to write. Chrissy stirred on her chair, and waved one of the others across to stand awkwardly, paper leant on the end of the desk, and copy out what Mikke scribbled - and Mikke, with a smirk half-hidden by the angle she sat at, began to scrawl faster and faster. The aide had long blonde hair which caught even the low light in here invitingly, looking soft and glossy. It fell across her eyes every other second, and she had to keep flicking it back.

When she was done, Clef waited a moment until the poor aide stood back, rubbing her wrist, then he took the original list and folded it up, vanished it away into his ring. Umi started to ask him why, but understood a moment later; they didn't need Kuregu's people watching them as they tried to figure this out. They might be right, and have nothing they could admit to base the idea on. They might be _wrong_, and who would want witnesses to that?

"Will you swear to that list as being the whole number?" Clef asked, and Mikke raised an eyebrow at him, lounging back in her chair. She seemed to be _enjoying_ the chance to be rude to people, after years confined to apparent politeness in Kuregu's service.

"I'll swear to it being as many names as I can remember _at this moment_, no more. ...I suspect I have not forgotten whoever it is you need to find, for what it's worth."

It was Clef's turn to look mildly surprised. "Oh? Being helpful now?"

"Well, rumour has it you have managed to upset my former master. I have to admit I find the thought pleasing." She shrugged, then sat up, the insolence condensing into a weariness which showed in the slump of her shoulders. "I have managed to thoroughly blow my chances of any future; I'll take my pleasure where I find it, from now on."

Umi flinched at a sharp, quickly-controlled wave of emotion from Clef, gone too fast for her to understand it; she paid very careful attention to his next words, regardless of the casual tone in which they were uttered. "Wouldn't you consider doing anything more active to entertain yourself, given the chance?"

"...I might consider it." Mikke said, her words now as careful as her stance had been lax a moment ago. She sharpened her gaze on Clef, and Umi couldn't help but lean a little further forwards, tightening her hand on his shoulder. "It would depend on my not ending up worse off for a few minutes entertainment, I suppose."

"Hmm." Clef was brilliantly non-committal, for all that she was the first possible weapon he'd found which might be turned directly on Kuregu. If she had nothing left to lose, and would testify against him... At least, that was what Umi guessed he was thinking of. "Well, I think this interview is over for the moment. Thank you for your time."

"I have nothing else to do with it." Mikke said.

The guards led her out, and Chrissy broke the pause. Umi had almost forgotten the other woman was there, despite being able to see her; she just seemed to fade from thought. "There's nothing here you could use to charge anyone, not on its own, Master Clef, Lady Ryuuzaki." Chrissy tapped her copy of the list. "We have found no evidence linking any of these people directly to the assassination attempts. There was nothing in the arrival records to show any of them them smuggling anyone in."

"There was nothing to show _anyon_e smuggling someone in. We all know they did." Umi muttered. Clef shot a wordless thought at her, like poking her, but without having to move; she desisted.

"We have to find the assassin. Even if they don't talk, we might be able to trace how the controller got in contact, once we know who they were in contact with. Kuregu's people might, at least, manage that." He nodded to Chrissy at the end, but the words were all to Umi; an insult to Kuregu's second when he didn't reply to her, as well as the assumption her people were not going to succeed.

"...Catch the assassin." Umi echoed, still sceptical, but it really was the only logical route to take. She shook her head and had to laugh. Like they'd do any better at it now it was an imperative! "Right. Right, fine, I should have known you'd find us something to do once we ran out of wars to stop."

"And we have to do so before the Conference breaks up, because as soon as people have leave to depart, we will have lost. The culprit will be free to vanish among the many lands of the Alliance, or even further, without our ever hoping to chase them." He added, and Umi sucked a sharp breath in. That gave them barely two days! Clef broke the tense silence before it could well and truly sink in for her - just as well, as far as keeping her temper was concerned. "Well, then. I take it our room assignment has not changed?" He asked Chrissy, and got a nod in reply. "We will get out of your way, then." _And go do what you should have done by now_, was unspoken but hung plainly in the air all the same.

Chrissy waved the aide with the blonde hair to escort them back to the main corridors.

oOo

Holed up in their room, Clef unfolded the list across the table and leant over it, Umi crowding in by his shoulder. The words swam in front of his eyes. Umi sounded out the first few letters of each while he leant on the table and tried to focus, nervous, uncertain why - her frustrated hiss took him out of it.

"I can't even read _names_ out and work out who they mean! Clef, come on, read it out for me?"

"I - yes, sorry." Thirty seven names. Out of the few hundred lands in the Alliance, thirty seven had bought information on their weaknesses. How many of those intended to _use_ it?

How many wanted it to defend themselves?

"Clef? Hey! You!" Umi whacked his shoulder, so close that turning to her would put them uncomfortably close. "You're meant to start reading!"

"I - sorry, Umi."

Her attention focused tangibly on him, in spite of the distraction in front of them. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing important." It was harder to lie to her than to himself. (He felt guilty, for one thing, and she had the advantage of perspective.)

"Try again. We've _found_ something, and instead of dragging everything you can from it, you're going all _inwards_." He wanted to tell her, which made him feel he should do the opposite - her attention was so _tempting_, but they should really be paying attention, not wasting a minute on his freakish mood, but- "Tell me, Clef. Please?"

"So many people." He trailed his fingers over the list, just too high to touch the ink. "How many of them bought the reading because they're afraid of me? Of Cephiro?"

"If they're afraid, it's because they don't know you, and that's changing. You're _making_ it change. Isn't that the point of being here even though Cephiro's still changing so much?"

"It can't be working very well." He muttered. "Besides, if they're afraid, it's because we've hidden away and shunned them for millenia, and the only Cephirans they've known have been aimless drifters, outcasts, or criminals. Or all three."

"Clef... criminals? Are there really so many? You're so certain that our attacker's from Cephiro. They've used mainly Cephiran magic, I know, but-"

"Yes. Someone's hired a mercenary, and it's one of the more lucrative jobs for Cephirans who leave. Those who have a bent for it tend to be among the very best, and the very best paid. Especially if they travel long enough to experiment with other magics, learning to manipulate their own new ways..."The words had a bitter taste in his mouth, and he didn't know quite how to classify the way he felt - something like the edge of disgust, or an angry pity.

"To use their magic to kill like that..." Umi broke off, and he knew she understood. To use magic, Cephiran magic, one must believe in it, or it snaps back. People like the two of them were so powerful not exactly because they had more magic than others, but they had the strength of will to believe more in what they could do. Believe that a chair should exist where no chair was, because it would be of use.

An assassin... needed to trust, again and again, in killing for another's reasons.

"If they're not a little mad when they begin, they certainly are by the time they become this powerful. Given the ferocity of the attacks, I suspect they actually believe in this cause, too. Personally. Our opponent managed to find an assassin with a grudge and now they're on _this world_, Umi. Their previous victims won't have been from home. Can you _imagine_ what our power could do to someone without it? Who doesn't expect it?"

"Yes. I _can_."

Ice in her voice. Umi tugged him about to face her, and he caught a flash of memory - just a flash. Alcione, and pain, and terror. He could have hit himself for forgetting - "Just as I know how it feels to get shot by someone from Autozam, or how terrifying Tatra and her guards can be, what Lady Reigan might do to us. Clef, this assassin might be here because they're after you, but they aren't _here because of you_. Someone on this list made the choice to hire them!"

"...Why does it make me feel better when you're yelling at me?"

Umi half-chocked on a sudden laugh. "Because that's our situation normal?"

"I guess." He looked at the list again, letting himself have one final moment of regret. "I used to think it was amusing, when I was out among the worlds; all the strange things they thought of us. I even played up to some of them. If we hadn't been cut off..."

"You'd have different problems. Like Autozam, like Chizeta."

"...Yes. Well." He said, ready to read out the names instead of exposing his idiocy anymore. "Best turn your excessive logic onto something else."

Umi stopped him with a hand on his and a thought, _wait_, which froze him. "Before you start, what exactly are we _looking _for? Does the list tell us where people are from? I'm not going to know too many of them by name, and you weren't doing that much better than I was, last time. I don't know if SangYung is even back yet, but I don't know we really want to drag him into this _anyway_ -"

"No, she's given the land they're here with, and their position within the group." She really _had _felt like being helpful - or felt like spiting Kuregu's attempts to, at the very least, control all the information available.

"So, if we think the aim is likely to be tipping Cephiro off the table, they need to be just under it, right? To be able to get onto the table instead of us."

She was doing it _again_, making him ramble, and he kept going along with it - but it would help her, and it helped him organise his thoughts. Especially now, when there were stray ideas not his own in his head. "A lot of people didn't think it was right that we should walk back into that seat after so many years not bothering to show up. And they were probably right, but Cephiro needed that protection. They have to be _close_ to the table, but it takes more than just rank to make the leap up - there has to be a presentation of the reasons why _they_ are the best addition to the table."

Umi was making little 'ah, I see, go on-' noises.

"Those include connections with other lands, geographic and economic position, anything which could possiblybe relevant to their ability to speak for the interests of more than simply their own land. The application is probably one reason why nothing's happened for so long, it's a great deal of effort to put together and to judge. Of course, it could be someone close to us on the table wanting to shake things up, or higher up wanting to get rid of us, or even someone lower down in the rankings acting to gain favour from an ally who _might_ take our place-" He expanded, not really thinking it likely, largely teasing Umi.

"Okay, okay, shut up! Stop complicating things so much!" Umi protested, and he grinned.

"Well, it probably isn't someone working on behalf of another, if that makes you feel better? They would have to have worked out this plan a long time back, which means they approved the use of the Negation Bomb. It isn't likely that two lands would agree with that."

"Someone probably close to us on the Table. Go with that. If we can't figure it out, _then_ we start thinking harder." Umi insisted, then frowned, leaning heavily against his side to get closer to the list, not noticing the way Clef stilled. Her leg pressed against his, warm through the layers of thinner fabric than he was used to. "Hey, Clef, is Schwarzem on the list? He's just off the table, I remember you saying so. And he was mixed up in the Army thing too, so if we think that was still at least _partially _connected... you were never going to like it, and Autozam shouldn't have liked either but Brooke was stupid - that's the two lowest lands in conflict with some of the highest immediately, on a topic which had to disturb the Table somewhat..."

Clef skimmed over the list. Brooke was there, of course, but Brooke had been ruled out. Then, halfway down, he stopped. "Yes. Or, his second apparently did the buying, but they have a copy."

Umi looked at him, realised how close she was, and swayed further away with a blush starting across her cheeks which he tried damn hard to not see. Feel. This was ridiculous. The clue he'd been stretching after for days lay in his hands, and he was paying more attention to her than to it! _Pay attention where you're meant to, fool!_

"You don't think it's him?"

He didn't know if she'd taken that from his tone or the bond. "No. It makes sense, given what we know, but... he's literally the next person off the Table, so far as I know. It makes him the obvious first suspect - to be that, and then use a Negator..." She'd triggered a thought he couldn't quite grasp; it sat maddeningly just out of reach.

"Read them out, then. From the beginning. I'll make my own copy, and then-"

It fell into place. There should have been bells ringing deep, a thunderclap - something to mark the way it staggered him, letting hope into his chest like a hammerblow. Instead there was just the thump of his heart running fast. "Umi." He stopped her, fingers shaking a little as he reached for her hand. "Nearly right. You were nearly right. Not Schwarzem, _Ost_."

He pressed the thumb of his other hand down where Mikke had written 'Representative of Pedredan', and was certain of it.

"Ost?" Umi asked. "Why -" but she worked it out even as she spoke, even with her knowledge restricted so far beyond even his. "Pedredan's not far from the Inner Table. Ost was the one who first brought up the whole _Army_ bit, not Schwarzem, "

"And we were meant to be on the _losing_ side." The memory of triumph shone between them a moment, their shared victory. "If the assassin had managed to harm or kill us, with the sponsorship of the Three in place as his price for being their tool to introduce the Army, Pedredan would be _on_. He was the one trying to form that Transport-building alliance, too, remember. The one Daenae told us about. Building a stronger base of support."

"The transport manufacture - does that mean they have a lot of machinery? You said the bomb was part magic, part technology-"

"Yes." He nodded hard, and he could tell the smile on his face was too sharp, but Umi was showing her teeth as well.

"What now? We tell Kuregu? He can have Ost brought in so we can question him -" Clef shook his head, and Umi's grin fell into something between a snarl and a whine. "But we _know_ it's him, he fits so _well!_"

"He's a _Representative_." Clef pointed out, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, wanting to reach out and push away the irritation he could feel running off her. "We can't do anything without proof, and for that we-"

"Need to catch the damned assassin, yes, I _know_. Why did we even bother working this out, then?"

Clef couldn't help it, he grinned at the way she'd gone all prickly, how it didn't stop her tangling their fingers even tighter together. "Because now we know _who_ smuggled someone here, we can go and take a _very_ close look at the footage of their landing and perhaps spot who we're meant to be looking for."

"...Oh." Umi blinked. "That, yeah. Lets go do that." The smile came back, gradually, until there was that hint of white teeth in it. "Lets do that!"

She dragged him from their room, and he made no attempt to reclaim his hand.

oOo

"What do you mean, we can't see the security footage? Do you mean we have to wait for Kuregu to come back and authorise it, or something?" Umi stared at the security guard who stood in their way, his expression mostly hidden by his visor, entirely forgetting to give Kuregu his title.

The guard noticed, and bristled up. "No, my Lady, I mean that you cannot see the footage from the day of arrival, even with permission. It is not here."

"What the hell have you _done_ with it, then?" She snapped.

Bristle. Bristle. It was like watching a fugu puff itself up. "At _your request_ that we turn all our resources onto solving your problem, the files were dispatched to Dleivus for the experts to analyse them. It will take some time to complete the analysis, of course."

"Well, _how_ long, precisely?" Umi asked, not exactly feeling placated. Clef was standing back and letting her lose her temper - and he _had_ to know how much it was boiling up, because she knew her shields were slipping. She took that as giving her free rein to yell. "Will they be finished with them tomorrow? The day after?"

"Unlikely. They were only sent off an hour or so ago."

Umi hissed, beyond words, watching their clue sail off into the distance behind this _infuriating_ and _unhelpful_ man. _Now_ Clef stirred, fingers brushing over her wrist, flicking away the thin flickers of ice dancing in the air like frost, like lightning. She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush, letting go the power she'd been slowly, unconsciously gathering.

There was showing she was angry, and then there was intimidating, and the wavering line between them was best not crossed too often.

"Don't you have any _copies_?" She asked, when the air was almost still again.

"Of course." The Guard had a hand on his hip by now, though his fingertips were pressing hard into his side, and his face was paler under the visor than it had been when they arrived. He said nothing more, even when she waited. In fact, she thought he looked confused.

"Well, why can't we look at _them_?"

"Copies are only _ever_ to be used at a trial, to confirm the validity of the evidence." He recited, prim. "For _no reason_ is it ever appropriate or acceptable to tamper with them beforehand. They're sealed against it - only a Judge can open them."

/_Calm, Umi. We're not going to get past him._/ Clef stepped forwards without looking at her, even as his thoughts rang through her mind, coloured with her own disappointed irritation. Out loud, he merely said, "May we speak with the technicians who watched it before it was sent on?" The guard frowned, opened his mouth - and Clef pre-empted him. "Or have they gone with the footage to make certain that the video analysed on Dleivus was the same as was sent?"

"...Yes."

"Right. Come away, Umi. If they can't analyse the footage properly here, I doubt they're going to be any more help." He turned his back on the guard and walked away. After a second, Umi followed him.

"Should we..." transport, she meant, and didn't have to say. Clef shook his head.

"I need the walk, even if you don't." He shot a wry glance at her. "Too long sat still on the Transport."

Too much irritation to sit still any further.

"Understood." Umi was too impatient, too _rattled_, to wait until they were back in their rooms to talk, so she switched to thoughts instead, pushing them through the bond instead of bothering to concentrate for the spell. /_Clef, they sent those recordings off since we got hold of that list._/

/_I know. I suspect it was Chrissy's doing._/

/_Does that mean she's - Kuregu's - working with Ost? Or just that-_/

/-_they're still trying to get in our way, I think. We put her back up almost as much as that Guard's._/ A burst of anger rattled along with the words - but turned inwards. /_I hate how _spiteful_ this place makes me. Everyone!_/

/_...At least Chrissy seems to be acting because she's loyal to Kuregu._/

/_I wouldn't trust that. I wouldn't trust _any_ of them. If they were honest, they'd never have been picked for this place._/

/..._What now_?/ She thought, wishing for him to have some final genius plan he'd been hiding from her behind shields tighter than she could make, but, no. There was only the weariness which hadn't shifted since the nightmares, since the evening before when she'd pushed him, no matter how well he'd slept since. If it weren't for that she might have been content - no, well. She might have managed to resign herself to simply trying to get them out of here alive. Eventually. But this whole place got to Clef, and she wanted to at least help him defeat one of the demons plaguing him. Which meant she _had _ to find some other road here.

/_We try to corner Kuregu and get him to have another copy of those videos made for us. Or at least to bring the technicians back. He'll be at the drinks, not much more than an hour until then. And we watch Ost, we watch his whole delegation - we watch Schwarzern, too, and everyone else on that list, in case we're wrong, while we try to think of something else. We have a _name_, Umi, and a motive. It _has_ to help._/

/_...There's no one it could be on his delegation?_/

/_No. It hasn't changed from last year, I think he's related to most of them, and they certainly aren't from Cephiro_./

By now, they were a third of the way to their room: Clef twisted about, robes flying about him, and held his hands out. "Come on, then." He said, voice far softer than his thoughts, under better control. "There's not long for us to have something to eat before we head out to that. We'll feel better once we've eaten."

She _knew_ he didn't believe so, but accepted his hands without protest.

oOo

Though, really, Umi decided they must have been mad to think Kuregu would be any more help than his underlings. To get him to grant their concession - to grant it in time to get that information here before the Conference _ended_ and the assassin vanished into the many worlds of the alliance forever - they would have to _talk to him_. For the entire span of the evening, he seemed always three casual and accidental groups of people away from them, with the grace of more than a century's practise, aided and abetted both by the large number of people now rushing to get Clef's attention, either to congratulate on the previous victory (which felt somehow irrelevant at the oddest moments), to politely sneer at the same, or to offer up new private relations with Cephiro which felt uncomfortably like they were being courted much of the time.

A few of the Representatives went beyond that into unhidden flirting. With either of them, as if this were an extra sign of respect. Umi would rather they respectfully stopped _leering_ and got _out of the way._

Kuregu's distance was deliberate, it _had_ to be, and at the same time Umi was somehow, finally, both unsurprised and not angry with him. It was just too... inevitable. She had to admire the way he stayed most of the night close enough that it wasn't apparent to anyone else he was repelled like a magnet charged in the opposite direction.

She wasn't angry about that. She was angry because she spent all that time watching the people about them, _consider_ them, and came away with no new ideas at all. The gloaming and then the night swallowed the light outside the windows a few degrees more each time she was close enough to see them, until the world outside was barred by the mirroring effect of the glass, and the crowds echoed, wavering, on the solid black.

/_That looks,_/ she hissed at Selece, /_like the inside of my mind FEELS._/

Her God had no divine inspiration to offer, so there came no reply, just a consoling rumble and the warm pressure of him settling over her shoulders.

oOo

They retreated to their rooms, behind the safety and privacy of their shield. It flickered fitfully across the walls, casting light in ripple patterns about them, like they were underwater in a golden-flavoured pool; Umi had been distractingly unsettled as he cast it, and something had slipped into the spell. Now Clef sat on one of the chairs, propped his arms on his knees, and watched Umi pace fretfully back and forth. She yanked the curtains shut, and wore a path about the room.

"What do we do?"

"Think." He said, mind more concerned with how to calm her down before they went to bed than the conversation at hand; if she proceeded to fidget all night _neither_ of them would be at their best tomorrow.

"I know that," she snarled, "but what about? The assassin's never come close to us, just to killing us. We have no idea what they look like - if it really is only one person -"

"I'm fairly certain of that, actually. We don't come cheap, as hired blades go, and smuggling one person in would have been hard enough."

"Fine. We still don't have any real idea who they are." She flumped down on the table in front of Clef, focusing all of herself on this one thing. "What do we know about them?"

He patted her hand, let his fingers stay there. "They're originally from Cephiro. They have to be fairly old; they can use several kinds of Cephiran magic, summoning and at least three elements, and they've learnt more than one _other_ kind of magic. They can combine spells with machinery, but probably not easily, or they wouldn't have relied on summoned creatures."

"But they're from Cephiro, so they probably won't look old." She frowned at the floor. "Could they look like someone else? Disguise themself as someone who should be here?"

"Not for this long, not without someone noticing the spell degrading. That kind of thing is rarely reliable for more than an hour. They won't be in Pedredan's entourage - far too risky."

"And they can't sneak into anyone else's, that _would _get them caught. So they have to be on the staff."

"Mm. That's still several hundred people." He felt compelled to point out.

"It's a pity they weren't behind the poisonings. We could have narrowed it to people with access to the kitchens."

Clef brightened a little, handed a way to get her out of their room and moving, if only for a short time. "Yes, but the kitchens might be a help anyway. After all, we have an observant friend there, one who hears things which might be relevant. Come on, Umi. I need some more teabags. Let's go ask Piercasen for some."

"How do you know he's on duty? Didn't he say they rotate about?"

Clef grinned. "Yes, but Chrissy had the day's duty schedule with her earlier, and she set it down while we were listening to Mikke. I recognised his name, he's in the main kitchens all evening, cleaning up and working room service."

Umi glanced at the polite selection of three teabags left forlornly on a spare saucer (there had been a round half-dozen on their arrival) and laughed. "Okay. But we're getting non-caffeinated ones too!"

oOo

There weren't many people left in the kitchens - the cavernous room echoed slightly, three people washing up, two cooking, and Spark wiping down the counters. He dropped the cloth when he spotted them, and waved at the red-haired woman at the closest sink. "Hey, Amy! I'm going to take my break now, okay?"

She waved a soapy brush at him, then winced as he dragged three of the high stools over to the corner with a shriek of metal legs on the stone-like paving, waving Umi and Clef to sit.

"Did you want something to drink while you're here?" Spark offered, waving at the hot-water urn close by. "No? Okay. I take it you want to ask about something? You don't tend to come down here for a snack, and I don't see any cans of acid about for me to take downstairs..."

"Downstairs?" Umi blinked. "There's a floor below this one?" Under the ground?" Clef and Spark both _looked _at her, bemused. "...Was I meant to know that? Sorry."

"It's just storage, mainly. The big storeroom for the cleaners is down there."

"We were downstairs earlier, Umi." Clef pointed out, amused. He twisted on his stool to face her. "Mikke's being held underground. Most prisons are below ground level - the earth cuts a lot of magics."

"...That would explain the lack of windows. I just thought it was to be secure." Umi muttered, and slumped on her stool. "We went up and down so many lots of steps to get there, and it all looks alike!"

"...True."

Spark coughed slightly, and Umi looked back at him in a hurry, cheeks flushing. From the corner of her eye she could see Clef pretending he wasn't just as embarrassed that they'd excluded him entirely in just a few seconds.

"We _did_ come down to ask a few questions. Did the Security people seem to find anything odd during the recess? Has anyone vanished from the Staff, or been taken off for questioning a lot?"

Spark considered. "Aside from Mikke, no one has been held that I know, and I don't _think_ they found anyone suspicious... I'm not sure how many times people were questioned, actually. Amy? You know if anyone stood out?"

He didn't raise his voice, and grinned at the splash as Amy dropped the plate she was washing, caught listening. She faced him down, though, instead of denying anything. "Besides Mikke, the only person I know was questioned enough to be suspicious was _you_, Piercasen."

"Yes, but I _know_ I'm not guilty, so _besides_ that!"

"I can't think of anything. We were all talked to twice, the whole staff. It took them forever."

Spark nodded. "There are so many of us, and everyone works shifts with a lot of different people - it would be nearly impossible to find out if someone _had_ left, or been taken in, at least for a day or so. The timetables aren't reliable enough to be _certain_ someone is meant to be on duty with you - if they didn't show where you thought for a couple of days, they're probably off-Venue, or ill, but sometimes Representatives start asking for _particular staff_ to come see to them." The lilt of his voice on 'come see to them' gave the phrase all the innuendo needed, especially when followed by Amy's chuckle.

"Just like that guy - what was his name? He got his place here _just_ so he could suck up to Aquitaine and get a place with them before we left last time."

Spark nodded. "My brother was on duty, several years back, and hid with a horrible cold for three days before his boyfriend - who he met then, in the Whituvi group - stole a copy of the schedule to hang around where he should be, got worried, and hunted him down."

"Why did he hide the cold?" Clef asked, bemused.

"We're not meant to stay if we have anything which might infect a guest." Amy explained, waving her soapy brush for emphasis. "We have to report in, and they send us home - which means you don't get _paid _for the whole time. Most people who only have a cough or something try to hide it. We're mostly here because it pays so well, for a short job." She began to drain the water from her sink, scrubbing it down as the water glugged away, raising her voice to be heard over it. "It's like me and one of my friends, James. He came as part of the first day crew last year. I thought he was meant to be staying on as one of the cleaners this time, but he came, did his first night's duty, and left with the extras on the transports. I didn't even realise it until I thought we were scheduled on shift together, and some other guy showed up - so I checked. There's only one James still on the staff, and it's not him my friend."

Clef straightened a very little. Umi wouldn't have noticed, but her _sense_ of him did the same - an ominous kind of pause spreading through her as well. "...You're sure he went home? Have you spoken to him since then?"

Amy turned around briefly at that, to grin at them. "Course not. I spend so much time washing up a hundred mugs a day for Certain Honoured Guests, when would I have time to chase up a distant friend? But where else can he have gone but home? He wasn't a candidate for the security people, that's for sure, and I checked all the other lists. Nearly drove the Aide mad." She didn't sound disappointed at the side effect.

"I think... I remember him." Umi said, calling up an image of the man who had escorted them to their room the first night, who had smiled so kindly. "You didn't know this other James before?"

Spark at least was catching on to their mood - he leant forward, further than Clef had, lines darkening his face. Amy still sounded cheerful. "Well, no. Never seen him before in my life, but that's hardly rare here."

"Did any of your other colleagues know him, do you think?" Umi went on.

"No - I don't think so. I haven't exactly asked about him."

"He was serving in the cafe last week, with me - I pointed him out to you." Spark told them, quietly. "I don't know him from before, and I don't know that anyone else does. I've never seen him socialising. I just thought he was a loner, really."

Umi turned to Clef, knowing they were on the same page, the same certainty shattering through them, almost _painful, _sharp like a thin blade meant to slide between the ribs.

Two men. One name.

One identity?

"The map - Umi, the map of the Venue!" Clef demanded, and it was out of her glove and in his hands before she actually thought about it. Metal screamed again as he shot off the stool and he ran for the door with light beginning to glow about his fingers, before she could see what it was pointing to. Umi took a second, no more, to hang back and nod at Spark and the startled woman, only now going pale, then she was out of the door and chasing Clef down the hallway, to who-knew-where, and if they were right - _if this second 'James' was the assassin_.

Then they _knew what he looked like_, they had _met_ him - but it was hard to concentrate on that with the second question demanding an answer.

If this James was the assassin.

Then _where was the first one?_

oOo

end chapter nineteen

oOo

…that probably counts as a cliffhanger. Um. SORRY! (I seem to have a thing for people running down corridors, I blame watching endless amounts of Doctor Who when I was young!) One week, maybe two, until the next chapter. It's going to be a patchwork job, but the substance should be there already! I'm also going to attempt to hack back into my blog and get that running, so there should be a better source of chapter-status if that works. (I'll link from my profile if/when it does.)

Speculation, comments, exclamation marks, all are loved dearly!


	20. Chapter 20

I thought this was going to be delayed another day or so – my beta's internet connection died with three scenes left to fix this evening, but it came back an hour later, thank goodness! XD Especially as this chapter – it needed the work. _Really_ needed it.

For once, though, it's a chapter which ended where I expected it to! I'm not used to this. XD; There are about four left to go on Protecting You – which is still adhering to the plot outline as decided years ago, though the details are a little changeable – and then, well.

We'll see. XD

(Thanks to Momo mo yaki (you review so promptly!)(and your sister! I love that you're both reading it! I got my brother into manga, but he has no interest in fic or Rayearth, alas!), Zya, James Birdsong, and Jinja for reviewing recent chapters. – I STILL owe replies to those of you who were logged in, I know – thank you to all of you too – and I will get on that _tomorrow_, but it's nearly 2am and I'm going to have to sleep first, or I will be all grateful exclamation marks and a lack of english. XD;)

I have to say, I was amused – and cheered! – by people saying I'm doing okay in the politics with this. It's all down to being the child of a Civil Servant and studying medieval history, the two things mixed together, I'm glad it's been working for you!

Now I'm going to abandon this before the exclamation marks and emoticons take over entirely. XD I really hope you enjoy it.

oOo

Chapter Twenty: (No) Running In The Corridors

oOo

Clef kept his head start. He wasn't _that_ much taller than Umi, barely two inches, but right now he was making her use every centimetre of leg she had to catch up, running through the words he yelled back to her.

"Access to the kitchens, we thought, and we were right! Access, that's the key to it."

Umi's left knee was aching dully, somewhere, a protestation against the manic movement. Her breath was beginning to fall behind her speed as she followed Clef down the stairs three at a time - not daring to think about falling as she flung herself downwards headlong. She grabbed the stair post at the bottom of the stairs, using it to swing herself about and out into the corridor after him. The door slammed back against the wall as she passed through, and began to swing back, too slow to hit her. A small smudge of ash gleamed with drops of water in the centre of it, where Clef had flung it out of the way with a shred of their tangled power.

She got her head down and sprinted along the corridor, just about catching him, still confused. All she could feel was a sudden sharp certainty blasting across the bond, more than probably knowing the assassin's identity should call for. "But - that was - the poisoner." She gasped out around each breath she had to drag screaming into her lungs. "Hardly gonna find - a bomb maker - in the kitchens! Besides, we just _left_ them!"

"Not the kitchens!" Clef slammed into another stairwell and down again, the edge of his robe nearly tripping Umi as it flew out behind him. He caught the stair post at the bottom, but instead of twisting, he used it to brake himself. Umi nearly crashed into him but managed to slam into the wall instead, palms stinging from the impact.

She shook them out as she turned to face him. "The bomber - needed access too, Umi." He said, quieter, and just as out of breath as she was. (Thank goodness...) "Just not to the kitchens. It came into the room at an angle and hit the floor hard - flung in from above. Our room is near the roof, but there's no garden above us. Only one set of people are allowed up there - especially in the middle of the night-"

"The cleaners! Those machines we saw, to do the windows! They used one of them?"

"Exactly. They have to be on the main cleaning staff to have keys. 'James' is one, and isn't who he's meant to be. He needed somewhere to make and to store the bomb, as well as the chemicals to use in it. Down here is the largest cleaner's storeroom - the rest are little more than cupboards, but they're the ones generally used during the day, this place is more to hold things needed to restock the others each morning. If he _made_ it here, there should be some trace of it left - something that vicious can't be entirely cleaned away. With that we might be able to trace him, or at least confirm his identity when we _do_."

"As long as we have some luck this time, right?" Umi grinned. "What with the bombs, and the poisons, and the surviving, I don't want to hazard a guess as to which way our luck is running at the moment."

They'd nearly managed to catch their breath again. Clef reached out for the door with one hand, and for her arm with the other - he drew her close enough he could whisper in her ear. "Whatever type of luck we have, we must have a surfeit of it. After all, we have the favour of a God on our side."

As he was opening the door, Umi dropped her voice to match his. "If Selece gives us bad luck, I'm trading him with Fuu." She murmured, with a laugh repressed as strongly as she could manage. Clef drew the door back too slowly for her patience, and she slipped past him to step ahead into the quiet of the dim corridor, windowless - underground, in fact. This was the equivalent to the place Mikke was being held, beyond the levels where guests were welcome.

She saw nothing suspicious in either direction. Still, she stood in the doorway where Clef couldn't pass her and stretched out with a careful trickle of power - hers, theirs - to wash over the walls and the floors, and the ceiling too, for anything which felt out of place; the poison spell, but on a wider scale, adapting it as she went.

Clean cold echoed back to her. It was clear.

She drew in a slow breath and made her way down the corridor as softly as she could go, tugging on the bond to call Clef out after her. The large double doors of the storage room were clearly marked, a sign over them with words she couldn't read, but didn't have to - there was a picture of a mop and bucket on it too. Clef checked the doors for anything malicious.

Umi closed her eyes to follow the magic; he wasn't just brushing over things, but doing it the proper way, a more thorough search with a formal spell which fit precisely the need. It checked through the doors, and the space behind them, not just what they were able to see. He muttered something soft which meant 'let us pass', his hand over the lock, and it clicked.

Now _that _would be a handy trick to learn...

The room they entered was large, filled with high stacked metal shelves, tall thin cupboards and racks of mops and brooms standing in aisles. A file of spare trolleys waited along one wall, with a deep basket for dirty linens on one end, a bin, shelves for cleaning materials and new supplies for each room. They each had a set of spare linen folded neatly in the basket ready for use, a ticklish smell hovering over them - not the washing powder they used in the laundry, but the spell keeping the sheets fresh, the smell cutting the cold chemical tang of the air.

A single bare lightbulb shone in the centre of the room, setting deep shadows twisting between the aisles, and glinting thin knife-edge highlights from the shelves. The air was still, dense, unnaturally clean. Umi stayed close to Clef.

Clef muttered his searching spell again, sending it throughout the entire room. "...There's _something_ here, at least." He murmured, eyes opening. "Well, I think so... something muffled, concealed. Not a trap... and he's definitely been here."

"You've found a trace of him already?"

"Beyond the muffled thing? No." Clef frowned. "But the doors have been wiped far too clean - touching something leaves a trace of you, especially if you've just worked a spell. That door feels like no one has ever opened it."

"It's safe to walk around looking though, right?"

Clef nodded. "As far as I can tell. Look for something which feels hidden: something which doesn't belong. I'll try to find a trace of our ...friend."

Twenty minutes passed in near silence. The only sound was the scuff of their boots on the bare concrete floor as they walked between the shelves, power twining in the air as Clef searched, out of her sight. No one else came in, not even the security people who should be chasing them out – nothing moved except the shadows and the hairs which stood up on the back of Umi's neck. Each step she took sounded too loud, echoing off boxes and brooms. If someone _was_ hidden here, watching, each scrape would label her position clear as shouting. She caught occasional glimpses of things moving beyond the shelves, but each time she looked there was nothing to be seen.

Umi shuddered. Clef had said this place wasn't used during the day, but this was _eerie_.

She let Clef draw on what magic he would, and relied on her eyes, her instincts, and Selece mantled about her shoulders, his presence drifting lightly in the air about her. Twenty minutes, and nothing, and Umi was running out of room to search through.

She walked by the line of trolleys again each time she reached the end of an aisle, checking the ones closest. She turned now about the final corner, looking over at the third to last trolley, the second, turning the corner and walking on - then freezing.

Something was... off.

/_...Did I actually check the last one?_/

She turned back, and looked again.

Umi glanced carefully over the third trolley from the wall, and then the second. Nothing seemed wrong; with a sigh of relief she turned away for the second time, then Selece's power seemed to... flex about her. Again, she paused. Frowned.

/_The last one. Why can't I look at it? I turned to check that one, not its neighbours!_/ So for a third time she turned, heels scraping angrily on the floor, and looked once more.

Or... tried to.

Her gaze kept slipping past away from that last, laundry covered trolley. Her eyes began to water when she forced them to focus on it, making it a blur twice over. She tugged at the bond, but Clef was already walking back to her, after hearing her pause and turn so often. His footsteps came closer and slower until he stood at her back and settled one hand on her shoulder. She could feel the warmth of the touch through her clothes, on shoulders she now realised were pulled tight, aching.

"You found it."

"Yes. But do I want to know what it is?" She murmured, voice echoing conspicuously in the large space. "...Is it Cephiran?"

"The spell forcing attention away from that basket is, mostly, anyway. As to what it's hiding..." He took one more step, and gently tugged Umi about to face him. "Watch my back. Watch the other way. Until I've checked."

Umi opened her mouth to retort, but the heavy gaze Clef lay on her chilled the words in her throat, froze them dead. Now she was looking away, it was, paradoxically, easier to picture what she'd been looking at. There was a shape half-suggested by the drape of those linens. "If it's a body in there..."

"If it is, I know you're capable of handling it. Whatever it is, I know you can. That still doesn't mean you should have to be the first to discover it." His attention was solid on her.

She looked down to the floor. "Go ahead, then."

Facing the looming aisles and the door, Umi felt the magic drawn from her like the ebb of a tide, Clef muttering rhythmically as he shaped their power and let it go.

The second it worked and the concealment drifted apart, mist-like, from her senses, the hairs on the back of Umi's neck stood up. A smell began to seep through the sharp chemical tang of the air - something like rotting apples. Sweet, sickening. She blinked. Her eyes kept blurring over, she had to blink again and again, and there was a hollow gap in her chest. Clef spoke and she flinched hard enough she took a step away, though his voice was gentle as she had ever heard it.

"Do you think it will be better or worse if you see him? He looks peaceful, not like he died violently. I promise. If you look, at least you won't keep wondering about it."

Umi swallowed. Her mouth was still dry, too much to talk, so she did it again, and yet once more. "You're probably right," she whispered. "I'll look."

Clef's hand found her shoulder as she turned. She leant into it.

There was a man shrouded in the white bed sheets with the Hotel's silver monogram in the corner, same as they had been sleeping on for more than a week. His face was strangely grey in all the white, barely the colour of a human at all, under fine pale hair which had been scruffed up like a halo.

"...First corpse." She whispered, with half a laugh caught in her throat, breaking her words apart. "How strange is that? I've killed people, but I've never seen a corpse."

Clef's thumb rubbed over her shoulder. She stepped a little closer to the trolley, and he came with her. The man's eyes were closed, his face serene, merely fixed. He looked like a waxwork. But then he was also swathed in linen right up to the chin, only the faintest suggestion of a body folded up underneath the creases.

"...How did he die?" She asked. "Magic? Was that Cephiran too? Or-"

"No." Clef left her to go and drape a corner of the cloth back over the man's head, hooding it again. "Well. He was stabbed; the blade may have been Cephiran, but there's no way of knowing unless we find it and match it to the wound. But it wasn't the very quickest or quietest of techniques. There was probably a silencing charm or something involved. I won't check on that - Kuregu's guards have a job to do now, I don't want to muddle the body with extra traces of our magic, or the preservation spell on him. Especially as..."

"..." Umi opened her mouth, shut it again, and thought at him instead. After all, they _knew_ there were cameras in the corridor. She wouldn't be surprised to find more than that inside, too. /_If they found out about this, they really would be able to blackmail you, wouldn't they._/

/_It would be impossible to keep from people even until we got back to Cephiro_./ Clef sighed. /_I'd not let them do the telling, and I can't see either of us accepting being blackmailed_, _whatever the reason._/

"I guess." Umi stared still at the cowled figure. "Clef... that guy... That was him, wasn't it. James. The one who showed us to our rooms. He... never did leave."

Sighing, Clef turned around now, nodding. "Looks like it. I wasn't sure of his identity; I was so tired that evening, and without him moving... I guess we've found out how the assassin got to stay here."

"Came in with one of the delegations, killed him and took his place. And we know what he looks like. Clef, we've seen him. It _has_ to be the James from the cafe, Spark said there was only the one-" She paused, eyes wide. "...He was so close to us that day. If he'd tried anything..."

"You'd have stopped him, same as you would have anyone else in there." Clef said, dry, and began to herd her out of the room. "I agree, it's him. Spark said he was on the cleaning staff usually, it all fits. But as for where he is now... he may not even have come back, you realise."

This time it was Umi who shook her head. "The girl in the kitchens said all the staff had stayed behind. They brought in porters on the ships so no one would need to leave, and security was so much tighter this time. He's still here. I know it." And Selece, half forgotten in the back of her mind, rumbled agreement which rippled the air between them.

Clef started at that, and sighed, rueful amusement on his face. "I need to actually remember you're a Magic Knight somewhat better." He muttered. "But you're right. Both of you. Now we have to get out of here. We need to tell Kuregu, before anyone else finds the body - or realises we have."

"Can't we find him ourselves? We've seen him, we have a name... Surely there's some spell to trace him from that?"

A moment for Clef to consider, but in the end he shook his head, with a short grin at the disappointed sigh. "There are a few things we could try, but the fake name makes it harder, especially to do anything subtle... and with this," he waved a hand, a thin stream of water condensing about his fingers for a moment, glittering with tiny sparks of electricity, star struck "being so very new... get anything wrong and all we'll do is tell him how we avoided his bomb."

"Kuregu, then." Umi huffed, and reached out for Clef as he started the Transportation spell, fixing the corridor before Kuregu's suite in her mind.

Magic flung itself out about them, a bright shining thing, twisting into a swirling cocoon which condensed around them in a micro-second, spilled into the image she held, and the image she was aware Clef was holding. Power saturated the imagining, and pulled them through with it in a trail of glittering, sparkling thoughts - and as the power spun out into threads and faded away, the image had become the real thing, and they stood at the centre of it, leaning against each other.

The buzz of the spell faded, and slowly they stepped back, Umi not the only one blushing faintly. The two guards stood by Kuregu's door were avidly pretending to not watch them.

"Come on." Clef said, quietly. "Let's get this conversation over with."

oOo

"We need to see Representative Kuregu." Umi told the hovering guard who was lurking, half behind a plant pot, by the increasingly familiar door. The man stood a little straighter, shifted further into their way, and opened his mouth to give the usual bland demurral.

He was cut off before the first syllables touched his lips. "We are going to see Kuregu, now." Clef snapped, and the air snapped too, pressing close and heavy as a looming storm.

The poor guard swallowed and raised a hand to his earring. "The honoured representative for Cephiro and his ...companion are here to speak to the Consul," he told the listeners inside, and Umi could feel the careful way Clef was letting some of the power drain back out of the atmosphere he'd charged about them. The remainder resolved into a shield whispering like lines of glass writhing through the air, tendrils - sparks - darting out further to sense what they could, lying in wait for whatever might come. It was the most oddly offensive shield she'd ever known, poised to attack as quickly as defend.

(Nothing like her own solid attempt. ...Practise. She would practise when they reached Cephiro. ...Somewhere no one would be able to see her mess it up. Though, she might try...)

Whatever the security people saw on their screens must have been convincing enough though, because the door was opened by Chrissy herself less than a minute later. "Come on in." She stood aside - far enough to avoid them and their protection, Umi reckoned by choice, not accident. "Representative Kuregu's just finishing a call, he'll be able to speak to you in a few moments."

Umi walked ahead of Clef, and as she went, she pushed cautiously at the shield Clef maintained, trying to alter the flow of it so that the power swirled and eddied instead leaping out like static. It might be harder for someone to neutralise, if she could coax mostly-lightening into behaving more like water?

And it was a distraction.

Slowly it worked, the spell bowing to her will as well as Clef's; the tug of it increased a little at the base of her skull until it felt like a heavy clasp holding her hair into a tail. /_I'm trying to be serious here, stop playing!_/ Clef shot at her, undercurrent of amusement in the sense of his words overtaken a moment later by the care he took in assessing their surroundings for anything wrong, for invisible ninja. /_Don't wait for an invitation._/ Clef said, as Umi approached the chairs.

/_Why? Oh. We're being in control of the situation, right? You're very conscious of all the ways to get your way, aren't you._/ She didn't hide the shaky laughter in her 'voice', holding the pointless conversation firmly over the image of that shrouded figure. Clef knew what she was doing, she was sure, but let her have the distraction.

/_It's rather hard to automatically command respect when you're four foot tall. Even in Cephiro, sometimes. People recognise the robes, and the staff, but they all tend to take time to get used to it - and beyond Cephiro? No chance, hence my altered height. Act like you're in charge and other people believe it too. ...Mostly. Besides which, we're annoyed with Kuregu right now._/

/_...Is that why you got so annoyed with us when we met? We weren't very biddable._/

/_Annoyed with you, perhaps - I don't remember Fuu or Hikaru being particularly insulting._/ He said, with a soft laugh that felt like an arm about her shoulders, a negligent hug.

/_I was just being honest about my... reservations._/ She retorted. Clef actually turned to her at that, raising one eyebrow until she had to look down. Chrissy sat down opposite them, and was speaking quietly with one of the anonymous staff. /_...Why exactly are we more annoyed with Kuregu now than we were earlier?_/

/._..Because being annoyed is a useful channel so I'm not just shaken?_/ Clef admitted wryly. /_Officially because his security people should have found that man instead of us having to. It makes me wonder if there are people in the guard who are working for other masters._/

/_Which is true. They should have found him._/

/_Well, we had a slight advantage knowing what type of magic we were looking for, but yes, they're meant to consider that and have measures in place to look for everything._/

/._..hence the Cephirans working for him_./ Umi sighed.

oOo

Kuregu must have still been awake - Umi had wondered, but he received them too quickly to have got back into his elaborate robes, unless he had a spell like theirs. Given Dleivus's attitude to mages, it was unlikely. He was not, however, best pleased, if his glower were any indication. But when Clef sat there and said "we have discovered a dead body in the main storeroom for cleaning supplies", he had to sit up and pay attention, along with everyone else in the room - pretending to pay not attention or otherwise, they all turned to stare.

"...Below the kitchens?"

"Yes. It seems to be one of the staff, a man called James. He led us to our room on the first evening, and he hasn't been seen since that night - we think that the assassin has taken his place." Clef explained into the heavy silence, and Umi's attention drifted as he elaborated.

The Guard Captain who had been there after the creature attack was on duty in the corner, but with her visor pushed up, face visible. In the harsh artificial lights Umi could see a pale white line across her left eye - a scar?

...She didn't want to _think_ about how _that_ happened.

Umi tried not to stare, and mostly failed; it was easier to be distracted than to keep dwelling on that still, pale face, now she couldn't badger Clef into being her shield.

As she watched, Kuregu sent a rush of people to find the body, and a second group with that Captain, to bring the James-not-James in from his shift. It left Umi with no one to look at but Kuregu himself, who was asking questions she didn't want to hear, or Chrissy in the corner with a completely blank face. She wasn't shaking, wasn't feeling ill, or cold, or any of the things Clef had told her were caused by shock - she just felt _numb_, and her thoughts skittered about inside her empty head. Even so, she thought the whole 'go and fetch the assassin' was _far_ too simple, and wasn't surprised enough to be disappointed when the Captain returned too soon to have found him.

"My apologies, Honorable Representatives, Lady Ryuuzaki. The man known as James did not arrive when his shift began half an hour ago, nor was he in his room or scheduled to work elsewhere."

"Thank you, Captain Wentworth." Kuregu growled. "I expect he had some kind of watch on the body which has now been... disturbed."

"Our discovery might have done so, and the Guards certainly will." Clef almost agreed, refusing the blame. Umi winced. Worrying over _petty fights_ when there was a man _dead_ below them? But Clef's knee pressed sideways against hers, a soft thought wrapping about her while he couldn't turn away from Kuregu or display anything like it, and with that one touch she couldn't resent his composure.

"With Representative Kuregu's permission, I will organise a thorough search of every vessel leaving this land." The Captain announced, her low, level tones made jarring through the surprise of her speaking out. "I have already sent my patrol to alert the Security teams to the identity of the suspect, and they will organise a quiet constant surveillance across the venue. This man cannot be allowed to escape. Our honour is also at stake, now blood has been spilt under our watch. If I may have permission to leave, sir?"

Kuregu bowed stiffly, folding as reluctantly as the heavy, overworked brocade of his robes. "If you would see the Representative for Cephiro and his companion out first, Captain. I must take charge of the search of public areas, to keep from arousing suspicion or panic amongst the other attendees. Unless you request an escort all the way back to your quarters?" He ended, looking at Clef, who shook his head decisively.

"No, thank you, we would rather that the Guard were using their time to run this assassin down, as we are capable of defending ourselves."

"As you will, then." Kuregu dismissed them with a wave, and had turned to Chrissy before they had even departed the room.

The three of them marched in silence out of the suite, and the Captain hesitated at the doors. "...Do not let him harm you now, after so many failed attempts," she said, too low for the statue-still door guards to hear, then flicked her visor down, saluted sharply, and marched away down the corridor, boots managing a dull thump on the carpet. Clef watched her go before catching Umi's arm and leading her in the other direction.

"That was brave," he murmured, when the well-guarded door was out of earshot.

"Which part?" Umi asked, meaning 'which part _in particular_', not 'which part was brave', but Clef was caught up in his thoughts and missed the distinction.

"Defying Kuregu openly - she committed the Security people _for_ him, without giving him room to back out, and followed it up by calling him _sir_ to point out she'd done so deliberately, then expressing actual concern for our welfare..."

"Should she have said 'my Lord', then?" Umi asked - then "oh, no, sorry. It should have been 'Honoured Representative' again, shouldn't it."

"Either of those, or even Consul, in front of us. She certainly didn't display due deference..."

"...Does that mean I should really be calling _you_ Honourable Representative all the time?"

"No, you're here as my lover - here _pretending to be_ my lover - " he amended in a hurry, "-so it would be far out of character, and, oh. You were joking, weren't you." He surfaced enough to catch that and flick a quick-draw smile back at her. "If you tried it, I'd probably have exploded something valuable within a few hours. It's so... clunky. Pretentious."

"Would you prefer 'Venerable Master Mage'? Umi asked, and leapt aside from the spark of magic he shot at her with a click of his fingers. "Hey! No need to get violent!"

"You _know_ I can't hurt you. Not with magic." Clef returned, nonchalant, and Umi realised, remembered, that she could probably have caught that spell in her bare hands, as she could any of her own.

...And sent it back at him?

They'd used joint spells, and half the reason he wasn't meant to let - wasn't meant to form this kind of bond was because it gave her control of his magic, wasn't it? Did that mean they could modify each others spells _while they were active_? Umi walked on unseeing as the possibilities of that piled up in front of her eyes. What that might mean in a duel, fighting with him - or against him - her heart began to thump harder in anticipation, magic itching under her skin ready and willing to play. It would need practise - they were only just in control of their _own_ magic, but - _but._

The possibility vanished.

There would be no chance to attempt it, to practise and unleash it, wind power between them and set it free. They were removing the bond as soon as they returned to Cephiro. Even if they hadn't been planning to do so, it would give them away, hand out their secret on a silver platter. She was far too disappointed for a few seconds daydreaming, badly enough that he _felt_ it.

"Umi? What are you thinking about?"

"Going home." She murmured.

"...Yes. I imagine Earth will feel strange to you, after this." He said, the same despondency in his voice as hers; Umi bit back her reply, that wasn't what she had _meant_, not Earth, but.

It _should_ have been, shouldn't it, she thought, and there was a distance between them even with the idea, never mind the reality.

oOo

It was exceedingly late by the time they reached their room, and having a shower, getting ready for bed, all of it took a little longer than usual. Umi sat on the sofa carefully detangling her hair, more gently than usual, before she realised she was trying to delay going to bed for as long as possible.

The next moment, Clef came and perched on the arm beside her, reaching for one of the pages already spreading across the table (like automatic magic), and Umi choked down a laugh.

"...What did I do?" He asked, warily.

Waving a hand, Umi shook her head. "Sorry!" She gasped out. "It's just - bad enough _I'm_ afraid of the dark, but at _your age_!"

He caught on, and laughed too, wryly, "It's not the dark, it's the quiet which gets to one."

"Mm. Nothing to drown out stupid thoughts."

"Hey." He leant across and caught her hand in his, echoes of another night when neither of them could sleep, and this one couldn't be as bad as that - but then, this night was _here_, and she could _feel _the memory of that man so still waiting, quiet, in the back of her mind.

Clef squeezed her hand again, and then - deliberately, carefully - loosened his grip on his end of their magic, just a little, until the magic twisting between them was coloured faintly with his thoughts, his emotion. Tentative, almost _shy_. "We're not alone this time, though. Are we?"

She let out a deep breath and laced her fingers with his. "No. We're not."

He smiled, open and soft, and for a moment the world turned about just the two of them, and all she could be afraid of was what she might be giving away - which made her pull her shield a fraction higher, the non-action near reflex already, and the moment melted away. Clef stood, and pulled her towards the bed. "It might not be possible to sleep, but we should at least try to rest," he pointed out, and let go to walk round to his side. (Which was the side he'd taken in their first room, only with the walkway between them.)

He waited until Umi was laying down before switching the lights out, and they lay in the quiet for a while. The curtains were almost too effective; the room was pitch black.

She listened to his breathing, and knew he was still awake. In the dark, the room seemed bigger, and the bed wider than before - the polite distance between them stretched out in spite of the bond and the sound of his breath, and every time Umi shifted she inched a little closer to him, torn between wanting to be closer - to _not_ _be alone_ - and guilt at encroaching on his space. The longer she fussed and tried to stay still, the more awake she felt.

Her head reached the corner of her pillow and the monogram pressed against her cheek. The same one which decorated the sheets below them. The same sheets wrapped about the body -

_No!_

But once she'd thought of it, she couldn't get away; the more she tried to find something else to think of, the more the memory pressed, expanded.

That was what this assassin would like to do to them. To Clef, to her - no, that was quieter than he'd planned for them. An explosion or a dozen swords tearing into them - Umi twisted, heart beating faster and an uncomfortable lightness balled in her chest, then her throat - and she couldn't _stand it_, being still and patient in the dark, she needed to _do something_ -

Clef's hand found her shoulder under the covers and he was moving closer, shockingly real, wrapping himself about her. Umi pressed her face into his neck and held on to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, over and over, trying not to shake, fighting back tears. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have to-"

"Hush." Clef told her, words pressed into her hair. "It's alright, Umi. It's alright."

"Just - _pathetic_, can't even go to sleep properly -"

"Oy." He snapped, a hint of temper flaring when she snarled at herself. "Who here needed sleeping potions to get any rest for about a year? Who managed to drag you into his nightmares?" She subsided, soothed more by his anger than his kindness, of all the mad things. "Didn't we agree you weren't alone? Then I went and hid on my side of the bed, which, admittedly, was fairly stupid... but you can reach out, Umi. Please, if you need to."

It helped, remembering his nightmares, of all the selfish things - but it _helped_ to remember that she really _wasn't_ the only one in this room whose mind got the better of her sometimes, and slowly Umi began to relax, if not to become particularly sleepy. Instead of worrying about what the assassin might do, she began to plot what _they _could do instead, to find him, to exorcise this one demon before he slipped from their grasp. She believed that Captain Wentworth meant to do her job, but she had less faith in the rest of the Security Staff, and none at all that anyone would be able to stop him leaving with everyone else if he hadn't been found by then.

It was an intriguing question, how to draw the not!James out, and when an idea finally did occur, it was both simple and daft enough she thought it might work. "Hey, Clef?" she murmured.

"Hmm?" His voice was rough, sleep-edged. She hadn't realised he was _that_ close to drowsing off, and stuttered now, trying to worm out of his hands.

"Nothing, sorry, I'll tell you in the morning."

He held onto her despite the wriggling, and then there was the odd sensation of him _thinking_ a frown at her, as he wouldn't let her move away enough to see him. "Tell me now, or you won't sleep with wanting to, and I won't sleep for curiosity. And hold still before you elbow me again, please!"

Umi flushed and settled back against him. "Clef - look, Clef, we know he's still here. The assassin. He can't get away without blowing his cover, and Kuregu's leaving us just slightly exposed - if it's not about the army and it is personal somehow what's to stop them trying again? While we're parading down an empty corridor, all alone and exposed?"

"...Is this a case _for_ walking about or _against_ it?" Clef said, bemused.

Umi grinned toothily, unable to help herself even if Clef wouldn't see the expression. "For. Mostly. We have to find him somehow, right?"

"I guess, but - summoning didn't work. _Negation_ didn't work, and I hope like anything he never works out _why_. He's going to have to attack close range if he tries anything, which would blow his cover anyway. The only chance he has of getting off this blasted lump of rock is by keeping his head down." Maybe he wasn't _that_ close to asleep.

"You think, but he might have some escape plan - or one for the prison, and anyway, if he killed us, he'd have got rid of the only witnesses. What if that matters to them more than getting away safely?"

"It's... a chance, I suppose. ...Does this mean we have to actually get up in time to wander slowly to breakfast?"

"...It might. We're hardly going to find him transporting everywhere, are we."

He grumbled and pushed her away so he could turn over and pull himself back to his side of the bed, reaching for the alarm clock. "Fine. You have to make the first cup of tea, though."

"Deal."

She expected him to stay there, and jumped when he turned back and reached out for her again, but Clef just growled and tugged harder until she curled on his shoulder again, feeling self-conscious, uncertain what she should do with her arms, her legs. What were the new lines here? She didn't want to cross them unknowing...

Clef rapped on the back of her head. "Settle down," he muttered. "Try to sleep."

His breathing evened out within a few minutes. Maybe he _had_ been that close to drifting off, and the steady rhythm of his breath and his heart between them lulled Umi until she went under too.

oOo

Yet in the morning Clef woke up before the alarm even went, stuttering out of sleep on a quick disturbed impulse, blinked twice at the view of tangled blue hair and the feel of Umi breathing warm on his neck - then he disentangled himself as carefully as he possibly could, _determined_ to keep her asleep until he could escape to the bathroom and lock the door.

He turned the shower on and stepped under without waiting for the water to heat up. And when it began to splash down warm, he reached out and turned it right down low, and rested his head against the tiles, trying not to think.

_...Spirits. Sometimes I wish I'd never changed form_.

He heard the alarm go off as he was towelling his hair roughly dry, and moments later a clumsy, wordless question poked at him, Umi not exactly _worried_ so much as just... checking he was alright. It made him too grateful. He didn't dare risk thinking back at her, but raised his voice to call through the door instead. "I'll be out in a moment."

"...Okay."

He lingered until he felt the shift in power which meant she had used the dressing spell, so by the time he faced her they were both fully dressed - and she was offering him a cup of tea, steam curling from the dark liquid. Clef blinked at her.

"I promised." Umi pointed out, easily. She turned away to pick up her own drink, and he managed to tuck away the undignified smile. Such little things. They shouldn't _mean_ so much. He couldn't _let them_ mean so much.

There was work to be done, anyway, and he focused himself on the day ahead. Quite aside from the dubious possibility of assassination attempts (it wasn't that he didn't think Umi _might_ be right, he just had very little faith in her assumption that 'James' would ) he had a full dozen sets of people to find time to talk to, and there were actual _meetings_ again today - meetings which would _not_, thank goodness, endlessly circle the notion of that damned Army.

Cephiro had seen enough fighting for at least the next millennium, if he had anything to say in the matter.

Besides which, now he _had_ to find time to chase down the Representative for Tremaine and find out why, exactly, their Trader's Guild had blacklisted Cephiro about a thousand years ago and never lifted the embargo. Tatra had promised to vouch for him if necessary, now Chizeta had several years healthy growing trade with Cephiro to back her up; that should be enough to start a decent conversation this year, shouldn't it?

oOo

They were at breakfast early enough to pick their own seats, not just sitting wherever there were clean plates left, and Clef settled down on the table closest to the tea urns without thinking about it until Umi started to giggle under her breath. (He wasn't going to _move_, though.) The spaces on their table filled up quickly, though, so by the time Tatra walked in, there was no room for her near enough to talk, but Eagle timed his entrance and detour to the drinks table just right to take over a space as the people beside Clef stood and slipped out.

"Good timing." Umi said, raising her teacup in a toast.

"I was expecting to meet you on the way in, actually." Eagle said, saluting back. "But you're reversing your trends, I see."

"Plural?" Umi blinked.

"Well, you're here in good time, I don't believe anything else has exploded, _and_ the nice people who left this chair for me were agreeing to a treaty of some sort, were they not?" Eagle flicked a choice into the menu with practised ease, going straight to the option he wanted. Geo took rather longer with his choice, sat beyond Eagle, too far to communicate with anything more than gesture or impolite shout in the bustling room.

"Not precisely." Clef hedged. "Merely agreeing to introduce me personally to Gethin of Tremaine this evening, if I haven't managed to speak with him any earlier."

"Ah, the trader's embargo? That makes sense. Huawei are one of their closest allies in the... push against the prejudice towards the inner worlds?"

Clef had to wonder _how_ Eagle had had time to _learn_ all this - but then, he had grown up aware of these international tensions, and the army had taken his talent, honed it to something sharp and gleaming, then set him loose to make rings about the less-well informed. "So it seems. Also, fortunately, Huawei is turning their eye to trade with the non-UCA lands close to Cephiro. I didn't even have to watch for her - she came right over to talk."

"I doubt she was the only one, after your successes before the interval." Eagle said, all beaming smile. "If nothing else, people should be glad for the holiday you afforded us all."

"I take it from the level of smiling that your 'holiday' was successful?" Clef asked, carefully, but Eagle's expression didn't falter at all - the man might be a genius at using a smile as his mask, but he'd spent a long time on Cephiro while he was healing. Clef could generally tell which were real, and felt relieved even before Eagle nodded.

"She's not precisely stable yet, but Autozam's holding her own well enough. I have a report from your mages which probably has more information than any of the ones I've been allowed to see, and the others were busily pitching in when we came back."

"Good. I'm glad. You know you can ask if you need anything else from us, right? I'm saying it aloud, that makes it official, given where we are."

"...At breakfast?" Umi murmured, wicked glint in her eyes. Clef elbowed her without looking, then winced - he'd hit that dragon armlet Princess Tarta had given her.

"Thank you, Master Clef. We appreciate it. Are you still feeling the aftershocks?"

"Umi's come up with a novel way to shield from them, actually." Clef said, trying not to laugh at the oddity of a God being wrapped about them like a mildly terrifying blanket. A moment later he realised Eagle had gone still. "...What?"

"...I thought I might have been imagining things, before. That's all." Eagle put his cup carefully down, and now both Umi and Geo were paying prickly attention to the conversation - it took Umi's rueful 'oh dear' for Clef to catch on.

"Ah." The bond. He hadn't precisely _said_ that Umi was shielding the both of them - but he'd paused too long for a denial to be acceptable now. "...Possibly we should talk later, in private. What with you having to hand over that report."

"We should. Cephiro deserves a more detailed briefing on the state of her allies, at least."

Umi went quiet - not just aloud, but across the bond as well, as Clef picked his reply with care. "...Cephiro doesn't have to know _everything_. There are some details which are... more valuable kept to oneself, after all."

"Hmm." Not an agreement. Not precisely a _disagreement_, either, but distinctly non-committal. "This evening, then?"

"Agreed. Your rooms or ours?"

"Yours, I think. Ours are too well known at this juncture; if we have to keep stopping so I can reassure people their Transport orders will be filled as soon as possible..."

It went unspoken that Clef and Umi were keeping their room a moderate secret. Even Umi couldn't persuade him to _tell _people that - there was asking for trouble, then there was being foolhardy enough to _deserve_ it.

"Then if you'll excuse us, we'll leave you to your meal." Clef nodded to Geo, Eagle, and the rest of the table before heading out, enough eyes on them to make him nervous even with the conspicuously large number of attendants in the Hall that morning.

oOo

Captain Wentworth was keeping her word. The Dining Room had sprouted extra wait-staff with poorly concealed watchful stares, and the corridors had more than the usual amount of people moving through them. Only once were they alone; the long stretch of grass when they looped around the long way to the Hall.

Any threat stubbornly failed to materialise.

The Hall was more visibly guarded than before, as well, and there was a faint hum as they came through the entrance corridor; Clef stopped and rested a hand on the wall. Umi copied him, and felt the thin ward vibrating under her touch. It didn't feel like much, but she didn't understand it, this strange _sound_ spell. Clef seemed impressed, though.

/_Kuregu's actually doing his job now, it seems._/ He thought at her, as they made their way to the Table and their places. /_Your plan might just have struck a hitch. We're not as vulnerable as we were._/

/_If they want us gone strongly enough, I still think they'll make a chance_./

/_...Perhaps_./

He didn't sound hopeful, which only made Umi more determined. Let her help him with this one problem, and then - then what? He might let her help with others? He'd already let her further into his world than she'd ever imagined, even without the accidental magic. She was here to protect him, wasn't she?

The morning meeting opened with a declaration from Kuregu; "Given the foreshortened length of the Conference, I regret to announce there will be no second ball." He told them, then waited out the loud cries of 'pity!' and so on from the ranked tables. "Instead, both morning and afternoon meetings will take place on Sunday. Departure will commence on Monday morning, unless an earlier time is requested - please contact a member of my private staff if you need to do so."

_...Well, I suppose it's for the best. After last time... _Umi thought, then gave a sigh, bidding a farewell to her chance to wear the dress Clef had made for her - a thing which leant even more firmly towards art nouveau than those Caldina had found. Maybe she could find an excuse to wear them at home? She _had_ told Clef she was going to get Balls running at the Castle, after all...

After that the conversation settled down to bickering over the shoddy maintenance of the permanent roads between places Umi had never heard of, and she turned herself, reluctantly, to the revision she was so far behind on.

oOo

To Clef, that day and the next, in meetings and out, melded into a strange mixture of dull and hectic at once – the Army question had eaten so much time that people were battling each other for time to air every issue they'd gathered over the past year, but there was little _substance_ to most of them. The petty arguments being aired grated. He didn't _care _if Whituvii had been two days late in sending out work permits to outside citizens, or if the roads in the far west were overstaffed every other month!

All the same, it gave Clef more information about lands he knew little of, and he added all he could into his masterlist of background information, wishing he'd paid more attention when he travelled all those years ago. He needed it now, because he was _determined_ to make the most of the freak popularity; lands which wouldn't deign to talk to him before were suddenly approachable, some even friendly. He buried himself in that list each moment he had free, and left Umi to her own devices; she spread her schoolwork across the bed and settled in, muttering something about avoiding Fuu's loud disappointment at what she'd not finished.

Despite his intentions, the list was dull as anything, and after a while he had to sit back and stretch his back anyway. He glanced at Umi - and blinked. Somehow she'd gone from sat against the headboard to lying with her head hanging back off the bed, one foot wedged between the mattress and the frame, the other half way up the wall. She held one of her books open over her head, quietly chanting strange numerical formulae to herself.

He was about to ask _why_ when a knock sounded at the door, and she unfolded herself in an elegant hurry as Clef went to open the door.

"Good evening. Tea?" Clef offered, but Eagle shook his head as he and Geo walked in.

"Perhaps we should get the awkward questions out of the way before you settle us as your guests for the evening." He said, and remained standing, close to the door, devoid of his usual smile.

"...Very well. May I have the report which you promised?" Eagle handed over one of the shards of crystal which Clef was becoming used to now, though he still preferred paper. If it had been paper, he could have opened it right there and then, and delayed the rest of this conversation another few minutes. "Are there any further details of the mages who were lost in the coup?"

"A few - they're all in the file. But, Master Clef-" Eagle was using his title, with a slight emphasis which made it deliberate. Damn. "I _have_ to ask. Not merely because Lantis would be decidedly unimpressed otherwise - was my assumption correct? Have you and Umi - Lady Ryuuzaki - bound your magic together?"

Umi had been hovering back by the bed, shifting her mass of books off the covers; now she stiffened, unhappily. /_Do we have to tell him?_/ She thought into Clef's silence.

/_We told Princess Tatra. And he already _knows_, Umi._/

/_He suspects, and he knows Hikaru - he knows Lantis._/

/_True._/ Clef sighed, and turned to look back at her, pushing his hair back out of his face. /_It still makes no difference._/

The apparent silence had stretched too long for Eagle, who must know damn well he was being kept out of some conversation. "You don't have to answer the question, to be honest. I can find the answer myself." He pulled a squat, box-shaped object from his belt, tugging a cord from his headband to plug into it.

Clef stiffened as it flickered to life. "You can't run a detailed aura scan on a handheld system!" He protested, watching the screen flicker into life in the air above the body of the machine. He almost felt betrayed. The translucent white began to flicker with a rainbow dazzle of colours as it started to run - aimed at him. "Even _Autozam's_ technology can't do that!"

"It can when you add in Eagle's sneakiness and several years worth of time with Lantis explaining Cephiran magic and hanging about as an unknowing test subject." Geo said, quietly. He was watching the screen as well, over Eagle's shoulder as the smaller man frowned in concentration.

"Yes, but you shouldn't be using it on the _Master Mage_!" Umi snapped, and only Clef flung his hand out to stop her from getting between him and the scanner. "That _has_ to be undiplomatic! At best!"

"...Technically, as I'm tied to Autozam, they have a certain right to know." Clef pointed out. Her anger felt alien to him, too energetic. Eagle's near-grim determination was easier to understand even without a cheat such as the bond; as a friend, Eagle might ask. For Autozam's sake, he had to _know_.

Umi stayed back, but she was _not_ happy about it. "Not without _asking politely for permission_ they don't."

"I did ask. You weren't answering." Eagle pointed out. All of them watched the image as it resolved into a set of blurred coloured lines which Clef couldn't read, as such, and certainly not from behind. But the comparison to the old scan which Eagle pulled out and displayed next to it was easily comprehensible to all of them, even Umi, who had likely never seen one before today. A new twist of cool colours ran through the whole, and it had expanded, jerkily, a centimetre or so beyond the limits of the original, the lines less orderly. "...Is your power settled, or still unstable?"

"Still a little unstable, I believe. You would be better able to tell than I am, if you played with that again in a few hours." Clef waved at the scanner, feeling about as friendly toward it as he usually was to the alarm clock.

"Has the instability been strong enough to affect the connection of Cephiro to Autozam?"

"No."

Eagle wasn't expecting such quick certainty; he frowned at Clef, who tried not to bristle. "You're sure of that? She's _vulnerable_ now, Clef. If it might do _anything_ to her we need to find a way to stop it - there will _be_ one, I'm positive, I don't intend to cut you out of the connection, but-"

"The connection between the two lands really can't be affected by me, not without a hell of a lot of power set deliberately at it. I'm just a conduit; really I'm just directing Cephiro's attention to you. None of my own power is involved."

"...I'm glad to hear it." The images dissolved in a bright flurry as Eagle sighed, and finally came into the room far enough to reach a sofa and sit down. "Am I right in thinking that this could get you into some difficulty back in Cephiro? It doesn't affect your connection to Autozam, perhaps, but with Cephiro..."

"Don't think the Council would be too happy if someone else can get into Cephiro the way you can." Geo rumbled, coming to sit beside Eagle and meeting Clef's gaze more honestly than the commander was managing.

Clef sighed. "Did you want that drink now? Geo, too?" They both nodded, and Clef turned to the kettle - only to find Umi vanishing with it into the bathroom, still tense. He winced, but turned back to their guests. "It... could, yes, cause some difficulty. So your co-operation in keeping this quiet would be appreciated."

"You won't have told Lantis yet, of course, not on an open channel." Eagle said, and Clef failed to conceal his grimace at the thought well enough to keep it from Eagle, who narrowed his eyes over the paper-strewn table. "You _are_ going to tell him and Dal LaFarga, aren't you."

The words grated out of him. "It would put him in a difficult position, and this isn't a permanent situation."

"...You mean to undo it when you return?" Geo said, voice brightly startled. "But, I thought-"

"It wasn't _intentional_ at all!" Clef snapped, which was of course the moment Umi came out of the bathroom. She stared at Geo, then caught the thought from Clef that Geo had thought they really were - she flushed, and thumped the kettle on indelicately.

"It - then how - no, sorry, it's none of my business." Geo waved his hands at them, but Eagle fitted it together.

"The explosion. That's how you survived? You changed your auras enough it wasn't balanced enough to eat away at them?"

"We didn't even mean to do that, just both cast a spell against it at the same time." Umi came to sit as the kettle heated up. "The spells merged, and this happened."

Geo kept glancing beyond them - at the single bed, Clef realised, and tried fervently not to groan. "It was survival, not... anything else. It still _isn't_."

"You _will_ tell him, though." Eagle insisted. "You'll have to be careful, if you remove it or not, and - to be honest, I'm not going to keep it from him, unless you find some way to convince me it's truly for the best." He sounded apologetic on the end, but Clef, now he thought that far ahead, wouldn't have asked it of him.

"I understand. ...Could we move the conversation on to something more constructive now, though?"

"Such as the report in your hand? Of course."

"I was actually thinking more of asking you a few questions." Clef said, returning with a rush to the gaps in his list. "Could you tell me something more about what the Representative for Srorrim might want with Cephiro? Good relations with them would give us a contact near to Huginn-Muminn, which could be useful..."

"You want to keep an eye on them? Not surprised." Geo muttered. "We nearly always have a ship on duty near them, and one circling near the Mercia and them. It's dull as anything, stuck watching who wanders past."

"Not that Autozam condones espionage, of course." Eagle murmured.

"Nor does Cephiro. We just want to know what's happening." Clef said, straight faced, and watched the others grin.

"I'll sort those drinks out. Umi won't know any of this either." Geo declared, and took himself off to the sideboard as Eagle began to explain what he knew.

oOo

Clef maintained his focus on _work_ with a grim determination after he and Umi were left alone. Umi, abandoned again to her detested revision, gave up on it after half an hour and took the time for a bath, attempting to relax. Lying in the water, half giddy with the scalding heat, she watched the steam eddy above her and tried to feel anything but hurt. She'd seen Clef tuck himself away into his work before, dozens of times, but he'd never used it to block _her_ out. Until now.

Either practise was making his shields stronger, or he'd built them up more than ever before; the lack of _anything_ of him through the bond was like a wall flung up between them.

It hadn't been a week yet since their magic tangled together. How could she already be so used to it, that it ached to be shut out? Umi rested her head against the ceramic of the bath and let her hand sway in the water, feeling the current her motion created and knowing that if she tugged, just a little, she could wrap that water into whatever shape she wanted... but it would flicker with light, now. She didn't want to take a bath with a thunderstorm.

Two days, then. Two days, then home to Cephiro again, and Clef would take even that spark away.

Umi pushed herself upright, and glared at the water. She didn't feel better at _all_! Damn this, damn _him_ - she was going to bed.

oOo

Clef barely noticed when Umi went to sleep, trying to cram as much as he could into his head. When he eventually joined her even his dreams were filled by irritating dancing conversations as he fought to pin people down enough to sign things.

(He determinedly refused to think about waking up in the early hours to find himself pressed to Umi's back, or the panic-stricken five minutes it took to pull away without waking her up. She needed to start braiding her hair to sleep! He refused to remark on the half hour which followed, either, sat on the cool tile of the bathroom floor and devoting his will to ignoring his body entirely. He'd been asleep! It wasn't _him_, it was just a - a reaction.

..._Even _I _can't make myself swallow that one. _

_Just _- _Spirits. Spirits bloody _wept.

_Two more nights, after this. Then it's back to Cephiro and being safe alone in your own room.)_

oOo

It took half a large pot of tea and half the morning gone before Clef noticed Umi was disturbingly quiet. Clef resolved to ask her what was wrong at lunch. (Trying not to get too close was one thing, letting her be unhappy? A different, disallowed thing.) They would have time, if they kept to the plan of walking alone.

Only Princess Tatra invited them to take lunch with her, along with Eagle and Geo, and ChangAn (if he could be prised out out his room - she sent a messenger ahead as they walked.) "To celebrate our years of co-operation!" She said, brightly.

"To publicly acknowledge this alliance, you mean?" Umi shot back, and Tatra laughed, caught Umi's arm in her own, and shooed Clef ahead of them to walk with Geo and Eagle. He went reluctantly - he could always pick Eagle's brains some more, and at least Umi was laughing?

Only then she _wasn't_, and a chill ran down his spine and twisted in his stomach, even before she tugged at him, even before Tatra's gasp.

The world tilted on an uneven axis as Clef turned around, her realisation punching through his chest as saw what she had spotted with his own eyes - the assassin, this nameless not-James, watching them down a side corridor, a smirk twisting his long pale face. He hadn't even glanced aside as he walked past - who would attack them, in _this_ company?

But Umi had.

Behind him, Eagle said "Is that - it can't -"

"Go find the nearest Guards." Tatra snapped at her people, who split smoothly into two - half surrounding their charge, the other half splitting away. None of them made a move towards the assassin, but Umi was held in check only until he nodded, her attention strained down the long run of carpet towards the enemy, and when he released her she shot along like a bullet; sparks trailed like an angry hive of wasps from her gauntlet, and she was encased in stuttering blue light a moment before her armour was about her. The newly modified version, cloak gone, but still the protection he'd made for her, and her sword caught the light. Clef paused to shrug his own over-long outer layer off before he could follow: then Eagle grabbed his attention backwards by taking hold of his shoulder.

"Clef! Call her back! You can't just deal with him here-"

"He threw a bomb into our bedroom, when we were meant to be asleep, designed to tear our magic to shreds along with our bodies. Let go, Vision." Clef was aware he was snarling his words, sparks beginning to snap in the air about him, but the man was turning the corner and leading Umi out of sight. There wasn't time to be polite.

Tatra broke in, doing that thing where she looked serious and deadly - she reminded him of Umi like that. "You may be able to claim jurisdiction, but you can't use your magic while it's all tangled like this, people will see!" And, fine, if there were glints of ice in the air too, but tiny things no one would notice unless they were looking - and who the hell here knew what it meant?

Umi was out of sight, and he felt it when her sword crashed into the shield-spell the first time. "Let them look. I doubt they'll see." Shoving Eagle's hand away Clef turned and sprinted after his Knight.

Behind him, he heard Eagle laugh. "And you wonder why Lantis thinks you're reckless!" Clef ignored it and flung himself around the corridor.

Umi was _quick_ when motivated. The assassin, given the frustration rattling through him, was apparently quicker - just a touch. He was more out of practise than he should be, really, and couldn't catch up; he could only chase after them and hope they stopped soon.

As he ran, his thoughts came together in the moment, in a rush, like waking up dowsed in cold water - he shook off the pedantic focus of the past few days to grab at everything he knew of the assassin as he chased Umi along the corridors. If he remembered correctly, they were headed for the main doors out of the Hotel, where there was empty grass and little more than that stretching for miles. The assassin was picking this fight - and _drat_ Umi for being right about that - which meant he was picking the location, but what advantage was there in clear space, where Umi had room to call down whatever havoc she could?

He realised it, or remembered, the moment Umi sprinted out the doors a long stretch of hallway ahead of him, the light swallowing her up. Spells aimed at them from below the ground, summoned monsters which turned to dirt when they were killed, strength enough to build that bomb and erase every trace of it _while_ _underground -_

/_JUMP!_/ Clef howled at her as he burst through the doors and saw her leave the pavement for the lawn. /_He's an earth element!_/

And the ground shuddered below him, the hotel building groaning as the spell lying in wait for her snapped into action.

oOo

end Chapter Twenty

oOo

…Um, I am apparently addicted to cliffhangers with people running down the corridors. (Which they should really stop, it's all undignified. XD) I BLAME DR WHO. (The original – the new version doesn't seem to run down half as many! Also, there's a distinct lack of a quarry in most episodes!) …Please don't hate me!

Next chapter – I'm going to be more realistic this time and say a fortnight. XD;

I HOPE to be sooner.

Thank you for reading! (If you feel like commenting, I will love you thrice over, even/especially if you point out things which didn't work for you/were wrong)


	21. Chapter 21

I am never guessing how long a new chapter will take me again, argh. *weeps* I'm REALLY SORRY this took so long, and on a cliffhanger! Life got all interfere-y, and apparently I have an evil genius for getting a complete draft of a chapter done just when life gets busy for my poor beta too.

She had to work so hard on this chapter – and she's already getting me to fix bits of the next. (Half of which was actually in this chapter until about an hour ago. My inability to tell where a chapter ends is ongoing, it seems…) (Which should mean that the next chapter is FAR FAR SWIFTER than this one. HOPEFULLY. I'd say it would struggle to be longer, and then I remember I took an unexpected gap of years. I am not the best at this, but I SWEAR I will not do that again, ever!) Now I'm not feeling guilty at being so behind, I should be posting to my blog rather more, if anyone's looking for a better idea at how far I am with the next chapter.

I've also started drawing again, frequently, which I haven't done in years. …and of course, Clef and Umi are my favourite practice targets, so there should be some art to go along with PY in the moderately-near future. (I need to relearn how to draw first. XD)

But thank you to everyone who has been waiting! I hope you enjoy it. The spells in Japanese are all translated at the end of the chapter for neatness, and I think I've finally managed to reply to everyone who has reviewed recently – comments following for those of you who I couldn't pm them – thank you to all of you!

Haruka3 – glad you're enjoying it, and I have FAR too much fun writing Clef in denial (…as is probably obvious now I've been doing it for so long. XD) Thank you!

Ginja – I'm sorry you had a bad day, but happy that I managed to cheer you up? XD

Momo yo maki – I'm glad you and your sister both enjoyed it. XD I rather like James too, which, uh, is rather unfortunate as I started liking him AFTER I worked out the plot!

Rain – Thank you! I'm glad to hear there are still people getting dragged into the fandom after all the years I've been hiding around in it, and that review was a terrific morale boost on a very grey morning. I have to admit, I get bored of stories where there is nothing but romance – obviously the thing to do was add assassins. Um. XD The intrigue grew on me in the writing gathering layers. I just hope I can set them all out neatly now I'm getting to the end…

Right. Enough of me rattling on and worrying about letting this into the wild. XD

oOo

Chapter Twenty One: Head on, Headlong

oOo

Umi heard Eagle snap at her to stop, and ignored him. Clef had nodded, that was all the permission she needed, and she _wanted_ this fight, this simple here-is-the-enemy, this _action_. She called her armour about her; it formed itself, ever helpful, to her needs. The shoulder guards were smaller, the cloak missing, and the body lengthened into shorts which gave the top of her legs _some_ kind of protection outside her Mashin.

The assassin was quick. Faster than her, pulling away down the corridors. There were rooms both sides of them, and Umi's fear was he'd charge into one and take hostages. But he even ignored the people they passed, people who leapt back as he charged through and then stumbled again as Umi followed.

He led her outside, across the paving stones of the courtyard, each stride jarring her body from foot to skull. She chased him right onto the grass of the landing zone, softer footing a relief - and then pain spiked through her chest as Clef yelled a warning at her, _through_ her. Umi jumped, unthinking, momentum carrying her forwards. The ground yawned wide below her as she flung herself through the air. Crags of rock-laden earth launched up, reaching for her legs, sharp splintered edges glinting like razors, and she was falling down, over them, _into them_ –

"Mizu no ryuu!" She screamed, hand flung before her, and a furious dragon snarled along her path, flattening some stones and shattering others with lightning-bright teeth.

Flecks of shrapnel hit her, stinging her arms, one cutting across her cheek. The attack crashed into the ground and churned the rising dirt, flattened and subdued it, and she landed hard but safe. One glove smacked down in the sloppy, grainy mess, the damp creeping in through the material. Umi pulled a face at the feeling. Still, she kept her eyes forwards, on the ducked-down shape of the assassin with his hands pressed deep into the grass, staring straight back at her.

His eyes were narrowed but without the rage or triumph she'd expected. He looked less involved in this fight than he had been when Spark accidentally almost struck him with a gesturing hand - a memory, a context, which jarred badly against the tight, _professional_ focus.

A sharp anger burned in her chest, painful enough she thought something had hit her. Then the cracks in the ground lashed forward to surround her and she snapped to watching _them _instead. The earth ripped upwards, shuddering high into the air, and took new forms; writhing, vicious, hissing forms which all turned inward, turned to her.

Each creature reared out of its own fissure, displaced soil packed together into snake-like things three metres tall. They were alien, awesome, and something in their motion triggered deep-held instincts to _run _as they watched her, swaying back and forth, waiting for some signal to attack. Bright stones glinted for their eyes, green-fronded manes of grass flared about their heads, and each set of wide jaws was readily supplied with fangs of jagged crystal. Stones protruded in a hard layer from their backs, rougher than she wanted to call scales. More like the blade of a file, a big one, used for taking a half inch of wood off at a time.

So the first thing Umi did was dart forwards and slice across the bare underside of the closest.

Sods of earth spilt away from the body along her blade, but the gap closed immediately behind it, with a faint rumbling from the fissure, leaving no trace of the injury. (Not that she knew what a scar would look like, in these lumpy, roughly-moulded creatures.) It took exception to her attack, the head diving forwards in a rush, but Umi had been expecting a violent response. She skidded to one side as crystal fangs snapped where her neck had been seconds before, teeth closing with enough force that a shard of gleaming stone sheered off and flew in her direction. It clattered off her shoulder guard. Other chips littered the floor, uncomfortably lumpy through the soles of her boots.

The hefty bodies wound closer, a dull grating sound reverberating in the air about her. The woven forms built a massive cylindrical wall, bodies blurring into each other, reaching far above her head. The circle of sky shrank as their heads darted in one at a time to snap at her. Umi skidded this way and that, stabbing out reflexively but doing nothing more than trimming a few blades of grass from their manes, dropping a few more sods of earth into the ground. Flecks of mud clung to her armour, and the air tasted rich and earthen on her tongue. She was reaching desperately for an idea to get herself _out of here_, before she was crushed and mauled, and the assassin beyond – the assassin who was free to act as long as she was trapped – could be planning anything. Aimed at her, or aimed at _Clef_, still in the building but getting closer and closer.

Sweat began to trickle down her back, an itch along her spine; she had lost her sense of time, had no idea how long it had been since she spotted the assassin. Not long, given Clef hadn't crashed into the fight yet, but.

She was distracted a moment too long with the instinctive reach to the bond, to check where he was, and a sharp teeth broke through her right shoulder-guard, snapping it away, scoring another hot red line on her arm.

_Enough!_ A growl vibrated in the base of her throat.

Gasping in a breath, she thought of Hikaru luring a creature made of dirt into a pond, years ago, and as the latest head hissed back up she dismissed her sword and raised her hands. "Aoi tatsumaki!" She called, hands out to each side of her head. Water howled into place about her, the noise so loud the air in her lungs felt compressed, stray drops of water joining the mud on her clothes.

_So much for _calm _at the heart of a storm..._

The earthern wall blurred behind the widening funnel of water. Streaks of brown grew in the spell, soil ripped away from the creatures as they flung themselves at it, trying to reach her.

As soon as the spell was more than half-chocked with soil she let it fall. The wall was worn down to a metre and a half of lumpy unshaped earth, but it was _bubbling_. Streaks of it flailed up, reaching out. Umi took two paces as quick as she could and jumped, got one hand on the top of the wall. Her glove sank into the clinging mud - then her knee was up, and a foot, and she propelled herself up and over.

She called her sword back to her hand as she ran and aimed it at the assassin where he crouched, head down, muttering to the soil.

"Kouri no yaiba!"

Ice sliced through the air but she hadn't time to see if it hit because the mud behind was glooping and wriggling and rearing up into a single massive creature. She wheeled back to face it, planted her feet firmly on the ground, and glared up.

The creature's teeth must be as long as her _arms, _all the fangs joined together in unholy serrated union. It was very damp now, great drips of mud running off it, and it seemed faster - the head absolutely still, but the body writhing from side to side. When it lashed forward she jumped to the right, swiping down with her blade. The tip passed through the mud with no effect whatever, like trying to slice water; the snake coiled back, leaving long smears on the grass.

Umi studied it as quickly as she could. The tail now grew out of the largest fissure, the mud fading into the natural, motionless soil. She gathered her breath and her will, and aimed carefully, just above the join. Her dragon-attack snarled through the air, maw as wide as the snake's above, and blasted with concentrated strength through the entire width. It shuddered, rearing high and shrieking at her - Umi's ears rang and her heart stopped, and she was certain she'd misjudged.

Then the snake collapsed all at once, splattering down so hard that it splashed Umi from six metres back.

…_Why did it have to be _earth magic?_ Gah!_ _MUD._ She thought, inanely brushing at a stain on her glove before shaking her head and turning. Selece was clamouring at the edges of her mind, held back from manifesting about her by determination alone, and in her distraction he pushed against her again.

/_No!_/ She thought at him, fiercely. /_You can't! He has no Mashin to call on, I have to fight him _myself./ And she didn't say, but she _understood_ with a bright borrowed clarity that all the fears people held about Cephiro's alien, extreme powers; of Cephiro lashing out and claiming reparations for attacks the UCA hadn't stopped – or reaching out for more and more power, now they were looking outside their land… All that fear would be flung up and condensed by the sight of a great God-machine crushing a single man. On top of which, in the Mashin she'd be slower, and she already struggled to match his reactions.

(And there was the sharp possessive urge to keep this fight _hers_, a tension in her jaw and her throat and her hands which wanted to grab this obstacle and _hit it _until it gave way before her.)

/_He tried to take you from me!_/ Selece snarled, crashing force in his voice. /_He uses weapons which subvert all nature, he defiles Cephiro!_/

/_Believe me, I don't mean to let him get away with it!_/ Umi shot back, and with her promise he subsided a fraction.

Her earlier attack had done nothing; the assassin was crouched just as he had been, chips of ice melting in a line on the grass before his hands, and she sighed, gave up hope of a long-range assault, and broke into a run.

The ground lurched below her feet when she had crossed half the distance, and her first thought was still, ridiculously, _earthquake!_ But the shuddering came first in one direction and them another, tipping her to the ground, and she began to sink through scratchy remnants of grass into powdery soil seconds before the ground erupted about her, huge walls reaching up to the sky.

Umi held her breath until she was certain she wasn't sinking further, then scrambled to her feet, testing bruised legs. She could see nothing but the short corridor she stood in, others crossing each end. Getting to the closest was a fight against sandy ground which stole her momentum and balance, shifting below her feet, and when she got there all she could see were more brown walls leading off each other.

A labyrinth. No, a _maze_. She was trying to fight, and this guy trapped her in a _maze_? Oh, _HELL_ no!

And at that moment Clef ran out onto the pavement, out of her sight, his sharp /_Finally!_/snapping through her.

For a terrifying heartbeat her mind went entirely blank and she stumbled again on unsteady ground, caught herself with one hand on the wall. At the touch the wall shuddered and began to topple over on her.

Umi shoved back and her glove came free damp with mud; she caught an idea as clods of soil fell thick through the air about her. Dragging together as much power as she could manage she threw it into the walls separating her from the others. She grasped the moisture binding those walls together and ordered it into the air as she yelled "_MIZU NO RYUU!_"

The air howled. It went on and on, the spell dragging heat from her chest, air from her lungs, as she wrapped each measure of dampness into the figure which roared into the sky. Before her the walls crumbled with a deafening rumble. Earth and stone thumped down, inanimate, neutralised. A stone thumped against her shoulderguard hard enough to drive armour into her skin.

Now she could see her quarry, and Clef - and the summoning circle blazing in the air between them as yet another of those bladed creatures was dragged through into their world.

She felt power stirring, saw the light gathering by Clef's hands and knew he was gathering an attack, realised that as Representative of Cephiro, _he shouldn't be fighting any more than Selece should_. Not with an audience! And an audience was gathering behind him, peering out the windows and spilling from the doors. Watching and _vulnerable_. The spell sharpened in Clef's hands, and he _should not be fighting here!_

/_Blast that!_/ Clef snarled at her, catching the thought, the spell rising in his throat, and Umi wanted to reach out over the bond and _yank that spell out of his hands_.

She faltered away from the impulse before she could even try to, but Clef felt it, and the lightning fizzled out into nothing - which, great, but now he was stood staring at her and _utterly ignoring the monster charging towards him_.

/_Shield the hall!_/ Umi ordered, and at least he could drag together a shield without thinking; Clef slammed power into the air with no finesse at all, and she could hear the echoes of his voice yelling "Cresta!" for a moment before it was drowned out by the water filling the air, her spell falling back to earth, split by the air into a hundred thousand droplets. If she could catch even a _fraction_ of them -

"Kouri no _YAIBA!"_

Rain hammered down, cloudburst from a cloudless sky, and she was working her will against gravity and all common sense but when had that stopped her in the past? The effort of catching so many fragments weighed on her, pricked cold and sharp over her arms and down her spine. She pushed up against it, turning her face into the deluge, gasping for air as the rain ran over her face. It slid down her neck and seeped under the collar of her armour, all her clothing growing heavier. Without trying to aim she flung all she could straight forwards, at Clef's shield where it rang in her head - at the enemy caught between the two of them.

The assassin cried out, calling strange words she could barely hear over the rain but she saw the darkness ripple and flex as he dragged a shield of negation about himself, and the shards of ice hissed apart on it, and against the brighter crackle of Clef's spell.

The creature, in the open between them, had no such protection. The ice tore through it, a hundred frozen bullets, and it _screamed_ as blood darkened the mud. Three seconds and it was gone, collapsed into ashes which the rain slammed down, churned into the soil. Umi stared beyond it, drenched and gasping, caught up again in the tangled swirl of Clef's thoughts.

His shield spluttered in the air and cut out with the same uncomfortable tug as their earliest attempts at magic after the bond. /_Umi! You-_/

/_But I didn't!_/ She wailed. The assassin's dark shield spluttered away at the corner of her vision, but she couldn't look away from Clef. /_I didn't, I wouldn't, and you have to focus and stay _out_ of this! Please, Clef!_/

/No!/

/_I need you to protect everyone else, so I can concentrate! Come on, you're _good_ at shields! You have to _trust me_, keep them all from getting in the way. I can do this!_/ She needed him to agree; Selece she could hold back. Clef? Not so much, so she thought it as fiercely as she could. She could feel him wavering, knew he was still on the slightly-safer pavement. /_Please, trust me!_/

/_… If you get hurt, you're going to every single council meeting, and you're going to have to _take notes_. You won't be able to sleep through them! You'll be writing reports for a _century./ He promised her, reluctance laced through every syllable. /_...We should have found you a shield back on Chizeta. Be _careful_, Umi._/

He spread his hands again, stepping to the very edge of the paving, and power flared between them as Clef cast a larger, heavier shield than she'd seen since the days when Cephiro was crumbling about them and the entire castle was encased in a single spell. But this, when she looked up, was nothing orderly or comforting. It spat blue-white flickers and loomed with dangerous intent over them, pushing hard at the boundaries of a _defensive _spell.

But it would do. Umi sighed in relief, flung gratitude at him, and then she shut out thoughts of everything but the assassin. Her opponent stared at the shield a moment, then spat at it and turned to face her - and they were dropping to the ground the moment they were looking at each other, scrambling to get their hands into the ground before the other.

He was an earth-based mage, fine; Umi couldn't control the ground. But the topsoil here was heavy with water, and water was _hers_. "_Kouri!_" She snarled. "Kouri ni nare! Come on, _freeze!_"

Fingers of white sped out from her hands, building a layer of ground solid with ice - a layer as hard as steel. Umi pushed magic through it grimly, working the same way as Clef spelled their rooms; no words, just intent. The ground bucked below her, and she held on. The searing cold should have made her hands ache, the sodden cloth of her gloves no protection against freezing, but the pain came instead from the force being pushed up against her spell as she was tried.

He was a strong mage, and a versatile one. But Emeraude had chosen each of her Knights carefully; in a sheer battle of wills, Umi had the upper hand.

He changed tactics. Standing and abandoning the ground between them, he called a long weapon to his hands, with a strange three-bladed head – a long spear-like point, with a spike curved back from it on one side, and an axe-like head protruding on the other. (Umi thought back to her history lessons – and then to the fantasy games she had played before she went to Cephiro. That was… a glaive? No, a halberd? _Something_ like that.)

It glinted wickedly in the air at the end of the six-foot dull brown staff, but he attacked neither Clef nor Umi directly. Instead he swung it through the air about his head, calling out those strange words again. There was a static crackling in the air. Black lightning gathered about the halberd, an anti-halo, drinking in all the light hungrily. He spun again, weapon spinning faster still – to face Clef, and the crowd spilling out of the hotel, drawn by the disturbance – and Umi couldn't run over the sheet of ice she had built between them.

But she didn't need to, because Clef was standing his ground, hands spread to his shield. The pull on her power increased as he laced more water through the pulsing light, keeping it thin enough no one should spot it amid the brightness. Just enough to confound the negation spell as it slammed against the shield and tried to drink it down. It still drained some of the power from the shield – it wasn't like the negation _bomb_, she realised. Less precise, less _tailored_, but it still didn't like the blending of magic. As much as it took, Clef steadily restored.

Umi ran, curving about the edge of the ice as the assassin, glaring with frustration, tried again. Darkness split apart on the shield and cascaded in all directions, worms of power writhing across it, making little to no impact. Even when they burrowed into the ground, they couldn't get through – Clef was holding the shield down through the soil, as well, forcing it to stay together even though the lightning in it wanted to be grounded.

The assassin tried a third time, whirling the halberd faster than ever. Umi was _close_ now, close enough to feel the sharp pressure in the air, a bitter metallic taste clinging to the back of her mouth as she breathed in. When he twisted suddenly to fling the spell down on _her_, she was too close to break sideways and avoid the spreading edges of the attack.

Flinging herself down, she skidded underneath it instead. Umi felt the spell thrum through the air, her scalp tingling painfully as all her hair tried to stand on end. Her boots tore through the grass as she bounced along the ground. Her heels connected solidly with the assassin's ankles, and he crashed down alongside her.

The assassin was too well trained to stay down. He rolled out of the fall and pushed himself off the ice, digging his fingers knuckle-deep in the earth before Umi was on her feet. The ground tore apart again – fissures roared open, and she scrabbled for a hold on the grass below her as the world shook and each section of displaced earth reared into a new snake-like creature, a grinding-stones hiss coming from each of them as they dove for her, crushing mouths open wide.

"Come _on!_" Umi snapped, flinging herself sideways, heart racing so loudly she could feel it in her throat. "Stop doing the same thing when it _doesn't damn work!_"

"Giving tips on how to defeat you, Magic Knight? Not very _sensible_, are you." He taunted, loud enough for her to hear over the rumble of grinding stone, keeping his hands pressed firmly to the soil.

"When I'm fighting someone so _incompetent_, it hardly makes a difference!"

She ran three steps and flung herself into another skid, slamming her sword through the tail of the snake. Clods of earth hammered down about her as she shoved back onto her feet, and lunged forwards, sword point aimed straight for his heart. "_Fight_ me, damn you!"

Metal rang loud on metal as he caught the blade with the curved hook of the halberd and turned it aside. A snarl twisted the corners of his mouth. "Fine." He said, and whirled to his feet with a swipe of his weapon which would take her head off her shoulders if she didn't move.

Umi ducked, and she felt herself grinning as she went.

oOo

Clef watched, heart racing high in his chest, as Umi drew their aggressor into battle, parrying and dodging with margins so small that he could barely see if she had avoided each attack until the next was in process, and yes, this was the way she fought best, but that didn't make it _any less risky!_

He fought to keep himself still and the shield in place, even though it blurred his view of the fight. If the assassin struck at the crowd, and blamed it on Clef's presence, Cephiro would be damaged. If he was _openly aggressive,_ the balance between awe of Cephiran powers and fear of them would fall apart - but not responding would look weak, and Cephiro would be an easy target wavering on the bottom of the Table. _Again_. Umi was here _as his bodyguard_, allowed to fight – and capable of fighting with a sword instead of merely magic.

She was fighting now the very best way she could for Cephiro, and he didn't, couldn't, want to stop her - he just wanted to be _out there with her_. But at the same time it was for _her _sake he stood and held the shield, to make sure her efforts were worthwhile. He held onto the reasoning grimly. For her sake, and for Cephiro's.

(Curse _both of them._)

Clef grit his teeth and blocked out the rumble of the people massing behind him, focusing on keeping the shield up and his eyes _fixed_ on Umi as she danced about her opponent. She slammed her sword down two-handed on the pole of the halberd, all her weight behind it, and a dull sound rang out - the haft didn't give, and he could almost taste her frustration as she had to bounce back out of the assassin's longer reach. Motion beside him distracted Clef a second - Eagle was standing by his shoulder, Geo close behind, and Princess Tatra stood on his other side. All of them were watching almost as fretfully as he was. At least he wasn't going to be the only one angry with her if she got hurt…

"Let me through the shield." Eagle said, quietly; "I'll help her."

A wave of _jealousy_ rocked Clef, and he gripped onto the shield spell harder, minimising the accidental flare of power as much as he could. Vision saw it, though, hissing a breath out through his teeth. "Someone should have her back!"

_I do_! Clef thought, and he bit sharply down on his tongue until his temper was closer to under control, vibrating with the wish to get out there and _help more than just standing here_. Worse, he knew just how often he'd been the one insisting he stand alone; not only was he trying on shoes he'd forced onto Lantis, LaFarga – onto Umi herself, however poorly – but in a situation where she was_ right_ and he _had_ to stand firm.

He couldn't even _yell_ at her for it, terrified of distracting her at the wrong moment.

"_No_." He managed to reply, just about able to see Eagle bristling from the corner of his eye. "We're Representatives, both of us. _No weapons_."

"Geo, then! He has the same dispensation as _she_ does-"

"Shaky as you are on the Table, you still want to interfere in our business?" Clef's voice was hoarse. He shifted his weight, setting his feet a little further apart, steadying himself. Holding a shield this large and forcing it down below the ground was beginning to weigh on him, shoulders pressed down and his arms aching from being held out so long, but he didn't dare let up. Each time the assassin broke far enough away from Umi he turned to stare across at the crowd. More than just the few visible spells had run through the ground to slam into his defences. "Think she'd kill you herself anyway for getting in the way."

"We can't just _leave her_ out there _alone!"_ Geo hissed, urgently.

Clef's reply stuck in his throat for a long moment as Umi folded herself scant inches below the twisting halberd. Then she was up, and he forced the words out. "We have to. She _asked_ me to." He sighed. "Umi asked me to trust herwith this."

"…Ah." Eagle's posture slumped minutely. "Damn." Geo hunched too, losing enough height to go from tensed-to-spring into resigned-and-worried.

Princess Tatra said nothing, just nodded, face without expression.

"She will _be okay_." Clef insisted, his voice coming out grim, but steady. "I've already told her she's going to be stuck in every single petty council meeting for the rest of her _life_ otherwise."

"…Bet she'd find a way of avoiding Cephiro when the Council's in session. She's resourceful." Geo muttered, and Clef didn't know if that was meant for reassurance or reproach, couldn't look away to see the accompanying expression...

The assassin twisted his halberd and jabbed it back out at Umi, getting through her guard as she tried to slip past it. Clef's breath caught, lungs tight, hands shaking. Metal rang with that strange dull tone as she locked the hilt of her sword with the shaft and swung it over her head, the point flicking long strands of her hair up, but catching no skin.

Tatra's hand rested on Clef's shoulder, and he remembered to breath again, caught the shield as it was about to waver and slammed it back into place. _Spirits wept, old man, get a hold of yourself! Acting like a rank _amateur_ – are you Guru or what? _

He forced his hands an inch higher in the air, the burn of his muscles keeping him lodged firmly in his body. On the field, Umi slammed the halberd into the ground with another two-handed blow and leapt away before the assassin could recover, playing it comparatively safe by _not _leaping to attack while he still had the blunt end of the staff to strike with, and again she began to circle him.

"Can't she break the haft?" Tatra asked, softly.

"No. It's clay, bound by his magic, and he has a grudge against us strengthening his will. Not even Escudo will make it through that." She'd been testing it with those heavy blows. Nothing would beat that pole in those hands without some kind of extraordinary help behind it, and he couldn't think of any spell to offer her. But Umi's determination hadn't faltered when the halberd refused to break, even though his reach was so much longer than hers, and he wouldn't let her down by _doubting_ her.

oOo

The duel ran quicker than thought, both Umi and her opponent relying on instinct and well-trained reflex to guide defence and attack, twisting through motions drilled into their limbs by long hours of practice, eyes searching for chances their hands reached for without the interference of thought. The sheer speed of each motion trapped Umi into the narrow forms of her fencing style, the way she had duelled for years; she was holding her own, but she knew that she couldn't break past his weapon fighting like this.

_I wish I had Fuu's sword_. With such reach and weight, she might have bashed the halberd far enough out of the way to reach _him_. Her own blade was too light and too slender to push the halberd back.

Sweat stung in her cuts, and the rain-damp cloth was now warm, clinging unpleasantly to her skin. It peeled away with each motion and then stuck to her again. Her fingers were too hot in her gloves, and she wished she could pull them off and fight bare-handed, but the deceptively thin fabric was easing some of the sting from each blow that landed. Without that protection, she'd be struggling to even grip her blade. All the bruises and the minor cuts she'd gathered earlier were telling, and she was missing chances to attack because she was slowing down.

Selece still clung to her thoughts, but he no longer pressed against her will, and she battled against the urge to call him out anyway and end this in a storm of truly draconic proportions. _Only if I'm desperate_. She hissed at herself, at him, eyes following each steady motion the assassin made.

She was stronger, but the assassin had reach and stamina she couldn't match, and the small hurts she'd managed to deal him weren't anything _like_ enough to balance the scales. Umi dropped awkwardly below a thrust straight at her face, and the staff slammed into her side; her breath escaped in a whoosh and the world before her fizzed into a screen of darkness. _Focus! _She ordered herself, gasping, and blindly flung a blast of water at his feet to have him stumble back, to have time so she could recover.

Dragging air into her lungs, Umi shook her head as the dizziness cleared, and managed to block his follow-up strike. But this strategy _wasn't working_. She hadn't enough time to gather the power for a larger spell – but neither did he, as she kept pressing him, so the ground below her stayed mostly stable. If he managed to rock it, he would be able to trip her onto his attack, and so she had to keep pressing forward until she (_please!_) came up with something_ better._

_All that time worrying about fighting two blades, and I come up against _this?

It was morethan a little_ irritating_.

(Though it did have, technically, more than one blade on the single head. Pity that didn't count.)

If only she could trim that blasted pole and shrink his range... but he had to have made it from the earth itself, burnished it with his will, pressurising it like carbon into a diamond, and his magic kept it that strong while letting him swing it like wood…

Clef's thought, earlier, rebounded into her mind. _We should have found you a shield._

...That halberd was made of _his_ magic…

Umi jumped back, far and fast enough to hit the frozen ground and skid, dropping to one knee as she came to a halt. The ice was beginning to melt already, frigid water seeping into her boot.

Her hands had to be free; Umi set her sword down, biting her lip hard as she let go of it, hoping this wasn't a mistake. She needed water, so she muttered "mizu no ryuu" and let a tiny dragon chase its tail between her hands, spinning faster and faster until she held a bright disc of water between her palms. Reflected light glared off it, and glimmers of lightning condensed at its heart.

The assassin ran towards her, weapon thrust forwards. Umi ignored him. Focused. Held her breath and _visualised_, just as she did with the clothes, imagined what she needed, and dragged power from her chest until it gave her the words she needed and she gasped them into the fast-chilling air; "kouri no _TATE!_"

The assassin was bearing down on her and she was half-blinded by the flecks of ice in the air, all moisture frozen with the force of her spell. She had no idea if it had _worked_ but her sword was too low to grab in time and she flung her left arm up through the stinging haze, bracing for the pain if she'd failed –

oOo

A sharp hush swallowed the pavement and Clef hoped, _prayed_, as hard as he could, as the pike flashed down with aching speed into the glittering cloud where Umi crouched.

There was a clang like the knell of a bell and the assassin froze, his weapon still, and the haze blew apart to show Umi holding the halberd back on a gleaming shield of ice, blue-white light beaming from the boss at the heart of it. And when she looked up at the assassin, lips curving up below the grime and the blood on her face, Clef's breath stuttered in his throat once more, for entirely different reasons.

_How can she look so-_

"…Surely that _cannot_ be comfortable." Geo breathed out, staring at the bands of pure ice wrapped about Umi's arm, and Clef laughed quietly, helplessly, she flowed to her feet, flicking her blade out before her and ripping through the assassin's sleeve, the point coming away with a flash of crimson spilling down it, and the assassin's face paling.

"She's the knight of water. Even when it's really, _really _cold."

Umi's triumph licked across the bond to him, a distracting heat which coiled into his own chest, breeding an urge to fidget at the strange half-ticklish feeling as it spilled down to his navel_. _He could shut out the talking behind him, the mutters and the hisses and the mix of shock and horror - he could ignore their friends stood about him, their focus flung out through the shield, he couldn't keep his attention from being dragged back again and again to where Umi danced and parried through the wreck of the landing area.

The last of the shields between them had fallen in his moment of panic, hers of concentration, and he daren't try to raise anything anew while she was pushing her opponent so closely that she barely slipped past increasingly wild attacks; the air from each of them played cold on her skin and ghosted through him, sending tight shivers down his spine. He could feel each motion she made like an echo in his limbs, each twist of decision, and the smooth cold of the ice about her arm as she blocked the next attack and slid under it. He tried closing his eyes, but that made it _worse_, and he forced them open again. Only the heat of power about his fingers kept him grounded in his own body, and he clung to that burn, recklessly calling more power to roar through him, trying to drown out everything else before he lost control.

_Come on, Umi. You can beat him - just, please, do it quickly!_

oOo

A frown displaced the smirk on the assassin's face as Umi turned his halberd aside again along her shield, the pole clattering on the ice as she drove her blade forwards. He leapt back to normal ground with a cut-off curse, then yanked the halberd back towards him. Umi's ears rang as it scraped over her shield. She barely realised what he intended before the back-swept spike slammed into the edge of the shield, catching it between the spike and the main haft. He kept on pulling with all his weight, yanking her forwards and off balance.

Umi twisted her arm as she took that half-step, and the spike slipped to the side, slithering off the curve of pristine crystal white. There wasn't the slightest mark. Like his halberd, the shield was stronger than physics could imagine. Confidence growing she put her faith in it and pushed harder.

The sunlight glinted from white-tinged earth behind him as they turned a full hundred and eighty degrees. Umi squinted against the glare and pressed him, unrelenting, giving him no chance to look back until he was back onto the melting ice and water splashed up from each step he took in the sloppy mud. He stumbled, swore, glancing down - his concentration broken for a second.

Umi lunged forwards, her whole body behind the blow, over-extending so much she was off balance and her back exposed. The assassin whirled the halberd to catch her blade and swing it aside, then brought his weapon up over his head and slammed the axe-blade down over her, but Umi had her shield ready above her head. The great blow hammered into the ice instead of her skull, but the force made her arm ache from wrist to shoulder and right down her back, pushing her into a crouch.

The axe skittered off her shield and thumped into the mud, but the ground was far too damp to hold it; the assassin pulled it free with barely an effort and spun his whole body round with it, like a hammer-thrower, aiming for her exposed back. Umi stayed where she was, heart pounding, and got her sword back over her head, both hands on the hilt.

The blow slammed into her sword like a bullet train, propelling her forwards. She let it, pushed herself up as well as along and brought sword and halberd up with her, locking her hilt with the pole. She swung her arms up and over her head and then _down_ before her with all of her weight, all that momentum behind her, dragging the halberd from the assassin's hands and slamming it into the ground in front of her and Umi _yelled_ as her sword came down _hard as she could manage._

There was a vicious screeching as she sheered the halberd into two, echoed by the man behind her.

Umi's hands were numb from the blow. She dropped her sword, but it didn't matter, because the assassin was screaming those foul-tasting words again, louder than ever before, and she had maybe three seconds to _finish this_ before he did.

The shield she had summoned while sparring in Chizeta had been like a prison, just not strong enough to hold her; since then she'd had time to plan what she might do instead. She dragged up an image of what she'd decided on, holding her hands out towards him as she twisted about, and she shouted "Kakuen boujo!" the same second he flung a spitting ball of darkness at her, and the two spells collided, steam exploding through the air, scalding her face and forcing her eyes shut.

oOo

Clef felt the sting of the smoke and boiling water against his face and shut his own eyes in reflex. As he opened them the air cleared, and 'James' was slumped in a globe shaped by bars of solid ice, protected by a woven shield of swift-moving water, gleaming here and there with a little too much light to be merely reflected - Clef's magic, ready to resist any spell of negation he might try to break out. The assassin was distorted by the ripples, but even so Clef could see he wasn't moving to fight anymore.

Umi, triumphant, proceeded back towards them, head held high and her back to the floating prison cell she had created. Clef pulled the shielding away as she came closer. Light cascaded into his hands from all sides, a fountain reversed. He stepped towards her, once, twice, unthinking – then Tatra's hand fell from his shoulder, and he realised where he was. What he had been about to do. His cheeks flushed hotly, and he stopped dead.

In that moment's clear frozen silence came a single thought, perfectly clear: _they think she's your lover. You have the perfect excuse to go ahead and kiss her anyway._

If Eagle and Tatra and Geo hadn't stood with him, if _Kuregu_ wasn't stood a bare two metres away, if Umi hadn't been walking toward him so high with victory that she'd entirely missed what he'd just managed to not do, he would have retreated. Fast, and more than just two steps. But he was being watched, and he stood his ground, face flushed.

Umi was… a picture. Sweat gleamed on her skin where she wasn't splashed with mud, her armour was damaged in more than a few places, and her white boots were almost black all the way up with dirt. Her hair was tangled and wild. Her eyes _shone_. There were smears of crimson below the muck, too; hurts she hadn't really noticed yet under the adrenaline.

Clef meant to stay where he was, but he _had_ to reach out, hand shaking. And… their audience would be expecting _something_, wouldn't they? As she stepped close enough he lay a hand on her cheek, thumb smudging the mud which decorated it. She stopped still, leaving him to take the last half-step forwards so they were nearly touching, _nearly _- and that was even worse, her smile so close.

_Blast dignity, anyway._

He wrapped his arms about her and dragged her in until her head was safely resting on his shoulder, Umi's laugh spilling against his ear as she wrapped her arms in his robes and held on. She winced when his arms pressed against her battered side, but laughed again, softer, at his whispered apology, and wouldn't let him ease away.

Leaning his head against hers, he closed his eyes and whispered the healing spell, not bothering to direct it. With her shields forgotten, emotion so high, he probably knew every ache and scratch she bore better than _Umi_ did. The magic twisted between them gently, after the unsubtle roar of the shield; it brushed away cuts and bruises and went on to remove the mud and the sweat and even the rips in her clothing, something he'd never managed before.

"Shields aren't -" He began in a rush, stopped himself, _hissed_ at himself as Umi focused and he was going to have to finish the sentence or she'd give him no peace. "I'm not actually _good_ with shields, not naturally. I just-"

"Have had too much practise." She murmured for him, and her arms tightened about him again. "Thank you, Clef. For letting me fight."

"...You were right." He muttered. "_This_ time, anyway."

She stayed where she was, grin hidden against his shoulder, and let him hold on.

When Clef finally managed to let his arms drop, she stepped back far enough to grin at him; pristine, but no less wildly dangerous. She looked ready to take on a dozen more opponents for the hell of it - as far as he could tell through the tangled, near-vicious glee flowing off her, she felt just as she looked. Even so, there was enough of a tug from the co-opted gaol-spell to keep them both mindful of the man trapped in the ice.

"What now?" Umi asked.

Kuregu was stood close enough to hear, and, typically, was the first to speak. "What will you do with him?" He said, voice quieter than Clef had ever heard, in one short sentence giving Clef authority to do as he wished with the prisoner Kuregu should have been demanding control of.

It might have been a final test of Clef's judgement, Cephiro's willingness to play by the rules. It might have been a general offer - or it could have been the wondering question of a man somewhat more overawed than he'd ever expected to be by the woman at Clef's side. After all, Dleivus didn't see too many open displays of combat, especially those involving magic. Clef liked the thought of the last option.

The question, though, had only one answer he'd get away with.

"It's my duty to bind his powers, to cut his connection to the heart of Cephiro, until he has been tried by the international courts of the UCA and can be brought back for a hearing before the High Council. They will decide whether he should remain forever exiled from Cephiro's magic. Without power, your guards should have an easy enough time of it dealing with him in the meantime." Clef recited, pulling his thoughts back together and away from Umi as she faced Kuregu beside him, her head fiercely, proudly high. "His abuse of his powers is an offence against Cephiro herself, and must be remedied in her name - and we cannot take the chance that it will continue before he is tried."

"Can you do that?" Asked a voice in the crowd behind; Robin, her blinding robes making her stand out, and Clef was on the verge of pulling out the treaty on dealing with Cephiran crimes beyond Cephiro when she added "Cut off someone's magic, I mean. I thought that was _part_ of one of you! It can be taken away?"

"It's a binding, not a negation. It cuts the connection between a mage and Cephiro, so they cannot touch her power. It's intention is to stop any corruption of the heart of Cephiro, as much as to keep the suspect from using magic." Clef explained. "Nor can it be done by a human - we merely call upon one of the Gods to perform it."

And as he said it, his resolve faltered.

/_Why do I feel like you're about to announce a problem with something?_/ Umi asked, silently.

She was right, of course. /_I need to use my staff or something equivalent to perform the binding - a symbol of Cephiro's authority to channel the power through. It's an invocation of the rune gods; even the Guru can't be allowed to block another mage's powers directly. But if I summon my staff, it'll be clear how pointless it was to leave it behind, and I doubt that would go down well_.../

/_My Knight's sword would suit your purpose, would it not, little mage?_/ Selece boomed all of a sudden, and _Clef heard it_, inside his head, reverberating and pressing so hard at his thoughts that it felt like an entire new dimension was trying to fit inside his skull; inside Umi's dream he'd been loud, but _nothing _like this; he felt like the clanger in some extra-dimensional bell. Clef bit his lip hard on a whimper, felt Umi's hand catch his - then the pressure was settling back to something more bearable.

Selece's next words were still shatteringly _large_, but they didn't actually feel like they were about to break Clef apart. /_Apologies. It has been a time since I spoke with one other than my Knight in this dimension. But the sword is a symbol of this one, and would serve for your binding._/

/_I, well, yes, my Lord Selece_/ Clef thought, hesitantly, lacing his fingers with Umi's. /_But an Escudo blade? It was not made for me, I cannot wield it_./

Umi looked thoughtful. /_Even with the bond?_/ she asked, curious. /_That and my permission to do so?_/ Pausing, Clef had to think about that again.

/_I... don't know._/ Clef admitted, and felt the rumble of Selece's distant laughter. /_I suppose it might work after all. My Lord Selece?_/

/_Borrow of my strength and we shall seal him, little mage. In my name, my Knight's blade will certainly serve you._/

He needed to try - it was one of his duties, to do this. One of the most important responsibilities laid on the Master Mage was to stop any misuse of magic which could harm Cephiro. If Umi's sword didn't work he was going to have to summon his staff anyway, but with the word of a God urging him on... He might as well make the attempt. Probably. ...And if he kept telling himself that, he might eventually believe it?

Clef turned to Kuregu, Selece's deep laugh rumbling in his head. "May I have permission to wield the Lady Umi's sword for the binding? I realise that Representatives are not supposed to hold a weapon at the Assembly, but in the circumstances..."

Kuregu looked him steadily in the eyes for a long moment, and finally nodded. "Go ahead. You have permission to bear a weapon for this purpose, Clef of Cephiro."

Another rattle of noise rose among the audience Clef didn't dare look at - there was enough pressure with merely Selece watching him! Six of the guard were waved forward to flank them as Umi and he paced out to the ravaged patch of ground and the sphere of ice floating above it, and the rumble of voices followed at a distance not half as great as he would like.

The man inside hadn't tried to escape, and he did nothing now but watch them, his eyes unreadable through the blur of the water. This close Clef could hear the rushing sound of the spell. Their guard stopped a healthy distance back, keeping the crowd away as well as surrounding the floating prison. Clef winced a little as he and Umi stepped into the mud, sinking an inch. "Did you have to be quite so liberal with the water?" He asked, plaintively, and Umi - still beaming, still high from the victory which he should be sharing her joy in - laughed at him.

"Afraid to get your boots dirty, Clef?"

"...I'm more worried about my hands." He muttered, with a glance at her gauntlet. She blinked at him, but before she could ask quite what he meant he spoke out, loud enough that the assassin should be able to hear him, even through the water. "You understand what's about to happen, don't you. You attacked openly using a negation; even if you had done nothing more, it would be my duty to seal you until you can be tried. "

The man stared at him a moment longer before closing his eyes and bowing his head. "Yes."

That was it. He made no other response, but sat still and left his head bowed. Clef shivered. He turned back to Umi, dropping his voice again. "You'd best keep hold of the sword, I think. I'll just lay my hand on it. That should work?" He said it with more hope than conviction, and the knowledge their extra-dimensional advisor was still listening in, though the pressure of him had settled back about Umi's shoulders for the moment.

/_It would be best for you to wield the blade, little mage. You are the one wielding the spell, and the symbol is not complete elsewise._/ The great voice turned thoughtful. /_That is not to say we could not find some way to channel this without the sword at all, given your current position, yet while neither of us have experience to draw on..._/

/_...You've never done this before?_/ Umi asked, including Clef in the thought. He shook his head, and Selece's affirmation rang through them a second later.

/_The Creator usually saw to such things, or else Windam. Rayearth and I were more... volatile, when we were first brought into being, and we never thought to try once we had grown, not while Windam was still free to do so_. _For the moment, I certainly think it safer for the both of you if the mage take the sword alone. Even the risk in showing yourself capable of holding it is a lesser to that if the binding should rebound upon you..._/

Clef flinched. He'd not even considered that possibility, and now he did so... /_I see your point, yes._/

/_I will manifest, that they may see me. I suspect it will be assumed this one has granted you permission to wield _my_ symbol, among those who know to wonder, rather than even those of Cephiro present suspecting it is my Knight who gives you hers._/

"Symbol, or permission?" Clef wondered, voice low, looking at Umi. Her grin softened.

"Both." She said, and they were distracted from the moment by a pressure above them, the heavy weight of a storm front coming in - then it burst, and a great winged shadow reared in its place. Clef turned and made his bow.

The dragon was just as large as he had been in Umi's dream, and there were shouts from the watching crowd before Kuregu's voice rang out and called them to order. The two members of the guard now overshadowed by the descending dragon jogged rapidly out of the way, hands tight on their weapons.

"...Possibly we should have warned them." Clef said, but he was fighting back a laugh.

Selece settled on the ground, wings folding shut and his neck curving down until Umi could press her hand to his jaw in a rather less formal greeting. "We should certainly get you away before some idiot freaks out and tries to shoot you." Umi muttered to Selece, and the rumble of the dragon's laugh made the ground hum below them, setting off another round of dismay. "...Definitely. What now? Will I have to do anything particular? Should the shield come off?"

/_This is no magic spell, the shield will not interfere with our purpose. Draw your sword, little one, and hand it over to the mage. The rest will be our duty; you have served yours already this past hour_./

Umi blushed, and rushed to turn, water flowing into her hand as she stepped up to Clef. He stared at the slender sharpness of the sword, paying attention as he never had before to the unmarked glint of the edge, the spread wings of the dragon which formed the guard.

"That was good thinking, earlier." He told her, fully aware he was stalling, but this was a thing out of _legend _as well as so wholly _hers_, and phasing him badly, not to mention he could _hear Selece_. "The shield, and then getting the weapon out of his hands. This spell, too. I thought it, but I haven't said it, so."

"...Thank you." She stepped closer, almost leaning against his side, holding the sword before him, and then she said nothing else, just waited.

Clef took a deep breath, and reached for the hilt.

oOo

end chapter twenty one

oOo

translation:

Kouri ni nare: Become ice! (As an order. XD)

Kouri no tate: ice shield/ shield of ice. Simple! Plain! Does what it says on the tin!

Kouri no yaiba: Arrows of ice/ Ice arrows

Mizu no ryuu: Water dragon/ dragon of water

Kakuen boujo: encircling shield. (pretty much. ^^)

I hope you enjoyed it. (And if you want to review… *encouragement* XD)


	22. Chapter 22

an: *down creeps in, peers about*

I, uh. Yes. *winces* APOLOGIES, EVERYONE! Life – _kept on happening_, as one of you said. It's inconvenient like that! Especially when it steals all your brain, and then your beta and yourself end up on different time schedules for a while, and, ack, I am sorry! Also, Clef failed at Expressing Himself Clearly a lot, and my addiction to italics got the best of me. Frequently. (Seriously, half the comments my wonderful beta made – and there were a LOT of comments because she is awesome and will shred me wherever it's needed and this chapter, well, yes, needed it – were just faces being pulled at italics. I had twelve separate words stressed in one paragraph at one point…) It felt like it shouldn't be a hard chapter to write, and yet I think this was the hardest one yet. *flails hands in the air* Excuses! Ack.

I… am not going to make any promises over how soon the next chapter will be up, because that seems to be the biggest trigger for me utterly failing to meet anything like a deadline. ^^; But I _do_ have a brain right now, and I _am_ working on it, I promise. I really, really want to get it up soon. And please, feel free to come over to my dreamwidth or my livejournal and poke me – I answer there quicker than I do here, though I'm going to try to be better about that... (I also ramble incessantly about nothing, but what else is a blog for?)

Your reviews have meant a lot to me while I was battering my head against this chapter. Thank you, everyone who has taken the time to write something. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you – but you really do help me keep going. *love for all of you, especially you without ffn ids who I can't reply to directly*

As ever, concrit is joyfully welcomed on any and all of this story! As are any other comments. (And recommendations of things to go and read!)(Just please, don't kill me for the end of this chapter…)

Thanks again, to _everyone_ who is reading this, reviewing or not. I know I'm being repetitive, but I'm very grateful! This makes over 191,000 words posted on this story. (My chapters continue to be at least three times the length of anything reasonable…) The end is getting very much closer now. I hope you'll think it worth all the waiting.

~down

oOo

Chapter Twenty Two : Undertow

oOo

Clef's hands shook as they closed on the sword. He held his breath, waiting – but nothing happened, not yet, not with Umi's hands still pressing against his own. Even with that support his trembling was magnified along the blade until the tip swayed in dizzying spirals. He clenched his fingers painfully tight, and forced it still.

The hilt was cool, the scales smooth but defined enough to give a good grip. It felt like any other sword but like none of them. Not just because it was lighter, but because it was – balanced, exquisitely, blade and hilt matched so perfectly even he could tell. As it _should_ be; this was a sword crafted from Escudo by a Master Pharle pushing her power to the furthest limits, evolved by a knight who knew swords intimately. But – _but_. Selece's focus was a tangible thing wrapped about it, a coolness he felt in his fingertips, and it should have weighed the whole down, ripped it from his grasp even if it held its form.

Umi waited until he was steady then let go, abandoning it to his hold. It should have dissolved, spilling across his hands. He'd seen it happen before, and flinched now in expectation – but Umi was right, Selece was right, and _nothing changed_.

It felt so wrong that nothing was wrong, when everything he knew said this should not be possible_._ Yet it was also necessary.

If anyone knew what his holding this _meant…_ And the person most likely to understand was the man imprisoned before them, but his eyes were screwed shut. Even through the distortion of Umi's spell Clef could see the tips of his fingers were bone-white where they pressed into his legs, the only other sign of tension.

The shadow of Selece's unfurled wings hung over the spinning globe, making the flickers of light within it more noticeable, and Clef was glad twice over that the man's eyes were shut. Clef wouldn't want to see this coming, either. Didn't, even from this end, want to see the unmaking of someone at his own hands. He'd welcomed so many people into their power, but never shut the door in their faces, torn it away from them. Criminals were occasionally exiled by the Pillar, as this man probably had been, but that was considered enough of a punishment for anything.

At least he mostly remembered what he needed to say... and he needed to _get on with this_.

"Relax." Umi murmured. She held his arm, just above the elbow, steadying him more with the reminder she was there than the actual touch.

Selece stirred a little behind them, a small motion magnified by the size of his form until the equivalent of a shrug caused a sharp breeze. /_Are you ready_?/

"Yes."

Clef closed his eyes. Reaching deep, he brushed across the anxious swirl of Umi's magic, the acid-prickle of Autozam, down to rest his attention on the soft welcoming sense of Cephiro herself. He measured out the words carefully, the formula old-fashioned and strange on his tongue.

"Wondrous Cephiro, fearsome in your power, receive the words of this lowly supplicant!" His connection to Cephiro shifted, shivering up through him, a swell like the first few moments of a spell. It was hard to keep himself from reaching to hold it as he usually would, to shape it, control it. But here he was only a conduit, again, a channel for Cephiro."There is one whose acts label him a recreant, a degenerate traitor. Let your guardians stand forth and act for you, place your trust in me, and let us be the hand of your judgement!"

The press of power about him shuddered brighter, closer, Cephiro suddenly _there_ despite the vast distance yawning between them. For a second he could smell the ocean, and the sharpness of ripening puragu in the Castle orchards was caught in each breath he snatched. The shock of longing for home was enough to tear his concentration, already stretched and fragile between the sword and the power he couldn't hold.

He wavered, and the pressure became pain, prickling along his nerves as power flooded in, uncontrolled and too fast and too _much_.

Umi's grip on his arm kept him upright when he lost track of everything beyond the ache which jarred through every part of him, and then there was another weight, pushing down through the air, pressing from outside to hold him together while Cephiro spilled through his body and scratched at the boundary of his skin. Selece. /_Name me!_/ He demanded, and words came from the tangle of forces, spilling from Clef's lips, rasping his throat raw as he called out.

"Set your power in me, and trust yourself to _my Lord Selece_!"

He gasped for air - gasped, and half _choked_ on it as raw power flared down through him, a tide blowing through his skin as easily as if it was nothing, let through by Cephiro's presence responding to the words and reaching out to the dragon. Clef had to close his eyes and bite his tongue, whole body freezing in place as Selece's magic wrapped about his own, tasted it, weighed it, and measured out his link with Cephiro.

/_Hold steady, little one. You must not move!_/ Selece ordered him, voice another crushing pressure in the maelstrom. He was _there_ again, setting Clef's mind reeling at the scope of him, that cold endless blue reaching for Cephiro - and Cephiro answered, reached back, infused power into the spell which Selece made of Cephiro's power and Clef's link with her. What poured out of Clef to engulf Umi's sword was the deep living green of the forests, gleaming bright enough to hurt even through closed eyelids.

As power moved out of him and into the sword the clash slowly lessened. Clef found he could breath again, that he could squint at the light which spilled over his hands and stung his eyes until tears began to run down his cheeks. It was a spell, or a pattern for a spell – it held the shape of his connection to Cephiro within it, the shape of a mage's powers. Every mage, and any mage.

/_Now!_/ Selece said, within him, above him, his voice so deep and so wide it was beyond comprehension as sound, as anything more than an order written through his whole self, compelling him to obey. /_Grant me the authority to use this!_/

Words came again, drawn from memory and from Cephiro boiling within his heart. "Lord Selece! The one before you stands accused of the deepest of sins, polluting the heart of Cephiro through misuse of the strength she grants us." He had to squint to see the man waiting beyond, still motionless, awaiting this doom. "To save her from harm, to prevent these crimes, his bond to her must be severed. Shut his heart and his mind to Cephiro; let her voice not reach him, let his voice fall on deafened ears. To this end I invoke and adjure you, Lord Selece! Seal him!"

Selece's power slammed down over him again, roared through the sword and lanced through the air; furious power which penetrated the shield like it was nothing. Clef's feet slipped in the mud as he fought to keep upright and hold the sword steady. The emerald light slammed into the waiting figure, knocking him into the curve of the makeshift prison and tearing away everything which resonated with the spell, each whisper and echo of the brightness of Cephiro. And Clef's magic was wrapped in it - he _felt_ it happening, and only the tightness of his throat kept him from crying out.

So close, he could also feel the sharp tendrils of nothing where casting those negation spells had begun to damage the other man's power - his _heart_ - eating away at it, making fractures which were so fine the assassin was probably unaware of what he was doing to himself. Clef recoiled, but Selece held him firm, trapped within the spell, unable to stop sensing it as Selece now lay down a heavy nothing, a void and a shadow sickeningly close to negation everywhere the man's connection to Cephiro had been before they burnt it out of him.

The spell cut out as sharply as it had lashed through them both. The reality of his own form was bewildering, and Clef reeled; he had to press against Umi's hand on his arm to orient himself until he could tell which way was up. /_It is done._/ Selece said, the great voice sounding proud, and Clef shuddered at it. /_I shall leave you now_./

"Thank you, my Lord." Clef replied, automatically, voice rasping against his throat. Then he processed the words and nearly dropped Umi's sword in a rush to have it in her hands before Selece vanished. She recalled it, instead of reaching out; the water slipped between his fingers and he shuddered again. Finally the press of Selece's power withdrew as well, and without that tension against him his legs began to buckle. Umi swore, a hissed sound he didn't need translated, and grabbed onto him with both hands.

Clef leant into her and dropped his head to press against her cheek, hiding his embarrassed flush against her hair. He held onto her arms tightly, high enough the white of his knuckles would be hidden by the sweep of her armour. She was so warm – or he was so cold, and he looked back at the assassin, shivered harder when he found he was being watched by eyes so emotionless they reminded him of Zagato at the moment when every mask and desperate charade had finally fallen apart. Clef turned his face back to rest against Umi's neck.

Selece rumbled another pleased-sounding noise over their heads. Umi steadied Clef as the dragon flung himself into the air, a strong wind battering them as the great wings swept down. Her hair flew about them, the ends stinging as they whipped against his cheek, but Clef was too busy trying to regain control of his legs to grumble. He felt like a puppet with his strings suddenly cut, though who had been holding the strings was up for debate – Selece or Cephiro?

In mid-air a portal opened, crackling through the air with the same bite as his thunderbolts. Selece barrelled up through it and he was gone, the air folding shut behind him.

Clef took a deep breath, then tried to push away and stand up; Umi tightened her grip and refused to let him go, pressing her face closer against his cheek. /_Stay still a moment._/

/_Umi-_/

She'd yanked up all the shielding she knew how to make during the binding, but even so he felt the way she was still reeling as she dropped those extra layers. Half overwhelmed from the spilling tangle of forces he'd failed to shield her from, and she was still trying to comfort _him_.

/_It's okay. It's done, over with. He's not going to use his magic to murder anyone again._/ She twisted her hands in the back of Clef's robes, winding the fabric about her fingers, not letting him step away. /_Just... stay a moment, Clef._/

He wavered, but he didn't have the will left to resist. Inch by reluctant inch he leant back against her, trying not to just - not just to wrap himself about the warmth of her and push everything else away until he stopped feeling so frozen. It was all he could think of wanting right then, and he _couldn't_.

At least his breathing gradually evened out, and he dragged the shivering under control until it was at least not visible. He made his hands unclench from her shoulders and stepped away; this time, Umi let him go.

The crowd still waited, staring at him, a simmering impatience growing in the shift and hiss of conversations he neither could nor wanted to hear. Clef's skin crawled with the weight of so many witnesses. Even Umi's watching was pricking on the back of his neck. The only person not staring at him was the assassin himself, and the people who were focused in his direction instead of Clef's.

He waved the guards forward to surround the globe, Umi's magic glinting in the sun. Her satisfaction coiled through her magic to him, but he felt it only distantly, pulling back from it. It was too close to Selece's triumph, too sharp. He didn't want to feel happy with any part of this right now.

Umi dissolved the prison with a flick of her hand. The assassin made no attempt to escape as he was seized; he looked supported as much as restrained by the Guards holding his arms, but Clef didn't think he'd have been stopped by that grip if he'd had any will left to fight with. (And now was _not _the momentto start feeling some kind of kinship with a man who had tried to murder him - to murder Umi!)

"Your prisoner, Honourable Representative Kuregu." He announced, and tried not to wince too badly at the soreness of his throat. He would show no more weakness today. "Cephiro would appreciate being kept informed of your findings."

Kuregu looked at Clef steadily, and it felt like an appraisal. Eventually, he said, "You will have your own chance to question him later."

"…Thank you." Clef blinked at the concession he hadn't even asked for. But whatever angle Kuregu was trying to spin on this, Clef was beyond working out right now. Besides, Kuregu was already turning to the guards, ignoring him.

"Take the prisoner down to the holding facilities. The investigation into the Autozamnian Pilot's conduct has concluded but for the agreement of terms, which it is my place to set as the Host of this meeting. I will do so now, and this one can take his place there. Representative Vision!"

Eagle stepped forwards promptly, Geo hovering close behind him, both anxious to reclaim Zazu. "Yes?"

"Your Pilot will be released to you with a warning and a twelve month ban on piloting anything larger than a class B vehicle within the bounds of the UCA. The warning and the charge both will be removed from his record after five years. I trust you find this acceptable. You may arrange for his accommodation with the Hotel Manager, though I suggest you send your Second to do so – the afternoon meeting will begin momentarily. For now, Torque must remain within the Venue for the remainder of the conference, and attend none of the public meetings. He is not, after all, registered as aide, bodyguard or representative."

"The terms are acceptable." Eagle turned to Geo for a fast, muttered conference, while Kuregu beckoned Chrissy out of near invisibility in the crowd to lead the security staff and the assassin away. Geo followed them a moment later, stretching his legs to catch up without running.

The crowds parted before Chrissy and kept well clear of the prisoner; there were expressions of disgust aimed at him. For the blatantly violent interruption to their more subtly vicious politics? In fact, they looked more worried now than when Clef had reported the _bomb_. Because they'd had to see it first-hand this time?

As long as that disgust wasn't turned onto Umi or himself, Clef was seriously beyond caring.

Kuregu clapped his hands to regain everyone's attention. "If you please! The afternoon session will begin as scheduled in ten minutes time, and will be extended if necessary until all needful business is dealt with. Tonight there will be the usual Refection, and the signing and dismissal will take place, as ever, tomorrow morning. Perhaps this year, with less indulgence the previous evening, it will even end in a timely manner. In the meantime, I urge you all to not let this disgusting attempt to disrupt our meetings succeed; we must all continue to do our duty, no matter what tiresome obstacles arise, as the honourable Representative for Cephiro has demonstrated.

"If those of the Inner Table would follow me, food will shortly be provided in the Assembly Hall, to make up for the meal most of us have now missed." Kuregu turned and swept away without bothering to glance at the devastated lawn or the quelled assembly of people stood on it.

oOo

Umi had to nudge Clef hard to get him moving – he had gone more than still when Kuregu named them, and the crowd had turned back to _them_ at Kuregu's move. Reigan was close by the door. "I was right. You show some promise, Lady Ryuuzaki," she murmured as they passed. Umi span about, but by the time she had Reigan was looking nowhere near.

As she turned back Umi nearly knocked into the doorframe with her shoulderguard, and realised she was still in her armour. She glanced down, bit her lip, then raised her glove to recall it. The robes she'd been wearing earlier reappeared, but she summoned a heavier mantle about her shoulders, one which looked more militaristic than anything she'd worn here besides the armour itself. No one was going to be forgetting this fight in a hurry. She wasn't going to let them think she was ashamed of it, when she was nothing of the sort! Adrenaline still thrummed through her, and even the shock of the ritual hadn't managed to quench the giddy feeling of success.

They passed back through the corridors she'd run through earlier, far more sedately than before, and than she wanted to be. She felt like bouncing; restraining herself to a dignified walk was an effort, but she was also aware that she'd regret using up too much energy now once the adrenaline wore off. Which would be soon; the quiet as they walked was calming, and she settled down enough to realise there was something... off. Clef was silent beside her. He said nothing, but more than that there was nothing at all slipping through the bond to her, not even a hint of emotion colouring the strand caught between them.

/_What now?_/ She thought at him, softly. He still flinched.

/_What? - Oh. We try to get our attacker to confess it was Ost who hired him, and why we were targeted, I suppose._/

/_Don't we know that already? To knock us – or at least someone – off the Table, and take their place? With the support of Elphinstone and Robin and all, Ost would have been certain of promotion, right? That's an understandable goal - more power, more influence._/

/_That's just it, really. Did he have their support? Why would the Three care enough to set all this up? I don't think I'd pissed any of them off that badly before this session._/ Clef ran a hand through his fringe, the strands curling wildly about his fingers. _/It's a hefty thing to give Pedredan just for mentioning an Army. There should have been any number of little lands prepared to do as much for much less – why take the risk of disturbing the Table and supporting someone volatile enough to smuggle an assassin in? It doesn't quite make _sense_, unless they _wanted_ to disturb things, but they already sit as high as they're going to get. The spaces above them are firmly occupied – Ealdor, Huginn-Muminn, and Dleivus. But if that's not it, what does Ost have to gain by getting rid of us? There's no guarantee that he'd get anywhere near the Table without a sponsor. No one knows what might happen, in truth, it's been so many years since there was a space to be filled..._/

/_…I think you're just complicating things for the hell of it now._/ Umi complained, not seeing how he could be so wound up about it, and when they'd just got somewhere. She was _still_ brimming with the giddiness of the fight, and here he was fretting about things which didn't, so far as she could see, make any real difference to them!

Not unless the Three decided to turn on Cephiro directly, and she really didn't think _that_ was going to happen. Far too uncultured. They'd seen off this attack! Couldn't he just relax? /_Either way, nothing more you can do but watch them and wait to see what our prisoner has to say later. Cheer up! We've stopped one person from trying to get rid of us, and this is the last meeting! No more politics after tomorrow._/ She considered this. /_Well. Aside from the Cephiran Council, but you won't have to put up with Kuregu or Ash or any of the others, at least._/

Clef huffed a short kind of laugh, and then they were walking into the Hall. Staff were already setting out great trays of food on the top of the Table, with large ornate mats spread underneath them to protect the inner mechanics from meeting death by spilt gravy. Umi managed to snag the biggest teapot and presented it to him, and she reached for servings of things she recognised from their meals together here, foods she'd watched him enjoy.

Eagle grinned across at them as he settled – alone – into his seat, and Lady Eorl nodded in a friendly manner, as she'd not done for half the Conference now. (The familiar edge to the way she'd looked at Clef was gone, though. Umi… wasn't unhappy with that.) Tatra went beyond that, walking over to congratulate Umi quietly, eyes sparkling with the force of her smile, leaning close so people would have to work at it to overhear. "Well fought, Umi. I'm glad our practise was put to good use."

"Thank you! I was annoyed he had a _halberd_, after all that fighting with two swords, then I realised that wasn't all I'd been learning. Once I had the shield, it all seemed to work out."

"No one seems to have noticed anything untoward in the spells, either." Tatra murmured, her voice dropping even lower, and her smile turning another notch or two brighter as Umi blushed hard.

"…No. The practise was _very_ useful?"

Tatra laughed, and stood straight again. "Tarta will be pleased. Now eat something before you and your mage both start to get cranky."

"…Too late." Umi murmured ruefully, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

The lack of anything over the bond was like a blind spot, niggling at her, and she hoped quietly that he was going to let up and loosen his shields again before it drove her _mad._

"Before we begin, may I have your attention please." Kuregu called out, standing and regarding everyone congregate about the table. The lights through the coloured glass far overhead bathed him in cold blue. If he had glasses, Umi thought he'd be peering over the top of them - as it was he looked all long angles and stern disapproval.

"It seems," he measured out, clipping his words off precisely, "that there are among us here people who have no respect for the gravity and the diplomacy required from those who wish to belong in this room, and _at this table_. There are those among you, _here_, who have been caught using unclean methods to manipulate our august body - and I will no longer stand for it! From now, those who cannot comport themselves with dignity will find themselves ushered from this group, and let us hope that this stops any other being forced to take such measures as the Honourable Representative for Cephiro has had to."

Up to the last line, Umi thought that she and Clef were being scolded for getting into a public brawl - but, no. She went back over the phrases and bit her lip to catch an inappropriate laugh while about the table heads nodded agreement and voices offered assent. /_Is he annoyed at people doing illegal things, or just at their being so clumsy that they're caught?_/ She flicked at Clef, and watched sideways for the quirk of his lips.

/_I think he's annoyed at their using methods which force public conflict, where he has to deal with it._/ Clef returned./_...Which is, also, of course, being clumsy._/

Kuregu was still speaking, and Clef settled back in his chair, preparing to pay attention – something beyond Umi, this afternoon. Too much excitement to poke through other people's words. /_You should get your work out. I suspect this will be a very long few hours_./

oOo

It was indeed a very long time later when Kuregu stood to dismiss them. Clef nudged at Umi's arm to wake her up - she hadn't precisely been _asleep_, but she hadn't been paying attention. (Her schoolwork certainly hadn't helped her stay awake. She had tried to revise, but...) "Then, if the Representative for Cephiro and his bodyguard would attend me, I believe our official time together has come to an end for this year's session." Kuregu was declaring. "Tomorrow morning we convene an hour after the morning meal for the dismissal. Until then, I bid you farewell."

He swept from the room without actually waiting for them, and Umi's body had fallen asleep some time ago; on being forced to wake up it was prone to trembling, arms and legs too heavy. She stretched gingerly as Clef gathered up his papers, trying to loosen muscles abused with neither a warm up nor a warm down. It wasn't brilliant condition for walking the corridors, and Kuregu refused to do anything so plebeian. He strode. And he had a head start. But Clef seemed in no hurry to catch him, and they knew the way.

She rather wished another healing would help, but this wasn't exactly an injury, merely exhaustion. At least in Kuregu's company, with their most determined enemy imprisoned, no one was likely to attack them this time.

/_Did I miss anything this afternoon?_/ She asked as they made their way down to the corridor where they had spoken to Mikke. /_I think I drowsed through at least half the meeting._/

/_Not much. Largely we were setting up things to be investigated for next year's Assembly - the one real surprise was Meor proposing the extension of the permanent roads out in our direction. There's only one to Chizeta and two to Fahren, nothing beyond Autozam though there are a dozen as far as their shipyards - Cephiro's the only Table land without any connection at all. Most have several._/

/_Meor - isn't he one of the people Tatra talked into supporting us against the Army?_/

/_I think so, yes. ...He's from Eoferwic._/

/_Ah. Thanks._ _...That's nowhere _near_ our part of the Alliance, is it_?/

/_Not really. I guess they deal with Chizeta. Otherwise I have no idea what he meant to gain by it - it passed, though. We may get an actual road sometime in the next decade. They'll be hard put to deny the need for one when we have none at all..._/

/_So we'll be able to get places more easily... and more people will be able to get to us? Is that a good thing or a bad one?_/ Umi thought at him, wryly, and got a quick smile in return before they passed into the restricted area where the prisoners were being held.

The smiles fell as soon as they were inside the corridor.

The air was bitter with binding magic, fresh spells leaking from the walls like the stench of new paint. Umi could taste it on her tongue each time she breathed in, but that was better than the rank not-quite-a-smell when she breathed through her nose. It wasn't actually interfering with their magic, but it was certainly warning them off from interfering with the walls.

/_Is this Dleivan magic?_/ She shot at Clef, pulling a face.

/_Dleivus doesn't have any magic, as a rule._/ Clef replied. /_That's one of the reasons they recruit mages from elsewhere for the Security team, which you'd remember if you were a bit more awake. I wish they'd used something else, though. This is rather... unpleasant, isn't it._/

/_Not how I'd put it_./ She grumbled. The whisper of the warding spells from before endured as well, half smothered under the new layers, and Umi's head prickled uncomfortably as all her hair tried to stand on end from _that._ The combined effect was... oppressive.

She still couldn't get a read on Clef through the bond. He was rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, but she hesitated too long to ask if he was alright before they reached Kuregu, and the room where the assassin was being kept.

It was a relief to see chairs waiting for them, except here the press of the air was redoubled, the whispering more of a sibilant hiss. Clef half tripped as he walked in, wincing. The closest guard flinched towards them, beginning to reach out; Clef recovered himself with a wry glance to the walls, and nodded back to the Guard, who bowed slightly, and murmured "Guru."

Umi blinked. It had been a while since she'd heard anyone address Clef in that fashion – even in Cephiro, he was Master Mage more often than not, now. (Another piece of internationalisation?) But why would this guy...?

/_The Cephiran 'fire-bug'. Captain Wickeham mentioned the Security team have one._/ Clef thought back at her.

/_What? When – oh, right, after the monsters._/ Umi thought, and refrained from rubbing at her eyes. It was hard to think with the air so tense.

The assassin sat still, seemingly not bothered by the bindings written on his arms and his neck. He watched them as they came in, and she could well believe he had learned to wrap magic into machines to make bombs. His eyes were empty of expression, but he watched them come in, head tilted slightly like a tethered hawk watching mice.

Kuregu had a chair behind them, beside the Aide who was waiting to record the interview. "You may question the suspect as you wish, Honourable Representative Clef." He said, formally.

Clef nodded, and settled into his chair. "What is your name?"

"Why should I tell you anything you wish to know, _Guru_?" Therewas the anger Umi had seen earlier, pressed into the hard edges of his voice. "Or do you not answer to that title these days?"

"Master Mage or Guru, they mean the same thing."

"No, they do not! One is Cephiran, the other a weakened, corrupted thing – but why waste time arguing about that? I was glad, when I saw your name on the list. _Clef_."

Umi bristled. Also, list? What list? But Clef managed not to. "It would still facilitate this conversation to know your name." Silence. "To have something to address you by, at least. You must have a …'business' title?"

"...You may call me Hardwick, then. That's how I was hired."

"Who by?"

Clef's tone stayed level. Hardwick's didn't. "Why should I tell _you?"_ He repeated._ "_What do you think you could possibly threaten me with, after what is already done? I am both banished and exorcised, cast out!"

"You should tell me because it would be the right thing to do."

"I discarded my honour years ago, from necessity, so do not attempt to appeal to it. _You_ might uphold your vows to the point when your liege is murdered and your world ends, but we aren't all so _inhuman_ as the vaunted _Master Mage_." He hissed. "No wonder you don't fight to keep your title intact. You didn't even fight to hold Cephiro together!"

Clef was still; deliberately, desperately, unnaturally still. Umi didn't dare _think_ in his direction in case he flinched, let alone reach out to him. For a moment the room was so quiet she could hear the scratch of the aide's pen, and then Clef replied.

"You misunderstand me. My thought was only that it would serve you best, after this, if you co-operate now. But if you wish to talk about _honour_, let's do so. You refuse to tell me your name. You say you have no honour left, but what about your family? I have unlimited access to the archives, and every banishment is recorded there in extensive detail_._ I can discover your identity, and tell them what you've become. I could even offer them the chance to visit you in prison." Clef raised his chin a fraction, staring Hardwick down.

Hardwick stared back. "You wouldn't." He said, but he didn't sound so wholly certain now, and Umi couldn't blame him. Clef's determination was sharp in his voice – and he was master of doing things he felt he had to.

"For Cephiro's sake? Come, now. You're the one who pointed out the lengths I'd go to upholding my vows, and I am sworn now to Cephiro above all else." Clef sat forwards, and Hardwick leant away, into the back of his chair; Umi was torn between cheering for Clef scoring in this other kind of duel, and wincing at his having to. "Why bother to fight over this? You didn't struggle after Umi released her spell. You knew it was pointless. _So is this._ I'm not leaving until you tell us who hired you, and all you know of why they did so. Why make yourself spend all that time in the same room with us, being reminded that you failed?"

Hardwick's muddy hands were folded together so tightly the bones of his knuckles pressed whitely against the thin barrier of skin, like they had been as he waited, earlier. "How will I ever forget that?" He asked, voice rough. "How can I forget, when every moment I am reminded of what you have _stolen_?"

Clef's eyes narrowed, and even with the stench and whisper of the wards choking the room there were angry sparks crackling about his fingers, in his hair. "What of what you tried to steal from us? You attempted to kill us. You made a _negation bomb_." Hardwick drew back further, a sharp little movement, but his eyes never left Clef's. "You learnt to create the very antithesis of Cephiro, and you ask why I felt it right to cut your link to her, before you could poison her further?"

"If I was driven to such depths, it was because of you banishing me!"

Clef went still.

"I was exiled by the Pillar. But _you_ banished me! You, Guru, and those Knights!"

"I don't understand." Umi whispered.

Hardwick's eyes narrowed. "No, you _didn't_ understand. You changed the system without understanding anything - I was exiled _by the Pillar_. The Pillar alone could pardon me, could forgive me and let me return home! Now, after what you've done, there _is_ no Pillar!"

"Technically-"

"Technically, what? Are you going to say that everyone is the Pillar? Will you claim you can get me home?" He snorted. "The Guru knows better."

Umi glanced back, and Clef looked... /_Couldn't we have done anything for him?_/

/_'s right._/ He replied, and his grip on his shields had to be slipping again because that thought came wrapped heavily with guilt. /_Before, you could always come home and petition the Pillar - if they allowed you back into Cephiro, your sins were absolved, the madness - the weight of Cephiro's grudge - lifted. Now, with the Pillar divided... I don't think it's possible for enough people to forgive them at once so they can be absolved. It would mean everyone, down to children too young to understand, would have to actively believe they should be forgiven! If they try to return..._/

/_They'll be destroyed? Like Autozam has done to some of Brooke's coup?_/

/_Yes - but not just some; Autozam is sentient enough to absolve. Cephiro is... not._ _I never even... how many people did we abandon?_/

/_They all _did_ something to be exiled, didn't they?_/ Umi demanded, as Clef wavered through a bitter tasting horror, and this wasn't the way she'd wanted him to stop blanking her!

/_But there was always hope!_/

/_Hey-_/ No response, and she was fed up with seeing guilt on his face; she'd been seeing it since the day they met, though she hadn't recognised it then, and she had had _enough _of it! "Hey! The old system hurt people too. Nothing's perfect, but we're working on it - and that did not give him the right to try to kill us!" She glared at the assassin, who glared back. "The laws of Cephiro are _not_ set in stone, not even the deepest of them. I'm sure we could have found a way to help you, even if it meant appealing to Mokona - to theCreator, but you attacked us instead of asking!"

"Why would you ever have helped _me_?" He sounded almost curious.

Umi sighed. "Because everyone deserves a chance." She said, and turned away, not caring if he believed her or not. If he wasn't going to tell them anything useful... "Come on, Clef, you can bring it up at the next Council meeting. Let's get out of here."

"...Wait." said Clef, not Hardwick, and she belatedly remembered his vow earlier to go nowhere until they had answers_._ She dropped back down - but now there was a cool, prickling kind of focus about Clef. "Would you tell us what we want to know, if I gave you my word I will raise the subject with the Council, and not let it go until the others like you have some hope of redress again?"

"...Why should I trust you? Why should your word mean anything to me? A promise made to an exile is meaningless, I'm outside of the law, there would be no repercussions if you ignored it."

"I keep my vows." Clef said, softly, and Umi flashed back a minute to Hardwick making that an _accusation_. "But if you require assurance, believe in my words because I _am_ the Guru, and Cephiro will hold me to them. Because I am offering to make this deal in writing, and in front of people who would dearly like evidence of some sin on my part, and international laws will hold me to a contract even with an outlaw. Because I'm willing to have the Knight of Water draw her sword and call her God to witness and bind me to this vow. You've seen yourself how thorough he is." Tone nonchalant, the tension in his frame anything but, Clef leant back in his chair. (He did _not_ relax.) "It's your choice."

Umi held her breath and forced her hands to stay flat in her lap, not curl into fists. Then the assassin looked at her, and not even Kuregu's gaze had discomforted her this much. His stare was... hungry, desperately so, but after a moment he twisted back to face Clef and nodded.

"Her sword. Here, now, and with the promise sins committed after exile will be considered separately, and that the judges will have to think _hard_ about what it means to someone like us to be cast out."

"Yes." Clef said in a rush, and turned to her. "Umi, please - if you'd ask Selece, if he doesn't mind-"

"He doesn't." Umi promised, even as she passed the request along. "If it's to help - he's willing. What do I do? What should he do?"

"Draw - no, wait a second." Clef twisted back to look at Kuregu, who was watching the proceedings sat in the corner by the aide who was recording the whole exchange. "May she draw her sword? I realise it's against protocol in a cell, but the only person she will be aiming at is me. If _you'll _take my word without extraordinary measures-"

"As it would seem you are about to lower the billable hours of my interrogators by a long way, it's in all our interests for you to proceed, Master Clef." Kuregu said, and Clef nearly - _nearly _- accepted that at face value, but Umi shifted, and he hesitated.

"I have your permission, then?"

"..." Kuregu raised an eyebrow. "You _are_ learning the game. You have my express and explicit permission for the Lady Ryuuzaki to summon both sword and dragon for the purposes of your making this vow, and only for that purpose. Though I do wonder how the dragon is going to fit?"

"Well enough." Clef assured him, and turned to her. "If Selece could just - make his presence felt?"

/_Your mage is determined to be polite, little one; he could ask me himself, if he wished to._/ Selece said, voice amused. /_I would hear him, so long as he used my name, now we are both tied to you._/

/_I don't think we want anyone else to know he can, though?_ _Or maybe he just doesn't want you being so loud inside his head again! You do take some getting used to._/

/_This one is not half so great as Cephiro, who he already carries with him._/ Selece objected.

Umi bit down on her grin and drew her sword, letting it cascade onto the table in front of her. /_But Cephiro isn't given to talking back. Are you going to come through?_/

/_I will make myself visible to you._/

The ceiling of the room vanished, and in a soft and detailless place of grey and blue, Selece's head bent down to watch them through the portal he had made. /_What dost thou wish of this one?_/ He thundered, so that all the room could hear him, and everyone except Umi and Clef jumped visibly. (Clef jumped just enough that she felt his knee press against her leg for a moment, but apart from that he stayed perfectly still.)

Selece's words were more formal than she'd heard him use for _years_, and she took that as a cue. "My Lord, I wish you to be witness to the Master Mage's oath, and to hold him to it," Umi told him, trying to channel some of Fuu's politeness.

/_It shall be as you wish._/

She didn't want to point the sword at Clef - that was too close to how he had stripped Hardwick's power. Instead she reached for his hand and pulled it down to rest over the dragon where the hilt and the blade met, covering his fingers with her own. He stared at her, his eyes very blue in the light from Selece's dimension. Umi blinked, and squeezed his hand, and he started. His shields slammed back into place so hard she nearly flinched too, and she hadn't been paying attention - she didn't know _why_. (What had she done _now?_)

"I - yes. I do so swear, on my position as the Master Mage of Cephiro - as _Guru,_" he added, with a glance at Hardwick, "that I will bring to the Council the current fate of exiles from Cephiro, and that I will not let the matter go until there is some established manner for them to be brought home. ...Will that do?"

The last line was directed at Hardwick, who nodded. "That will do."

"Thank you. And thank you again, Lord Selece."

/_Your vow shall be kept._/ Selece boomed, and then he pulled back, and the portal vanished. Umi pulled their hands away from her sword and recalled it, and only then did she let go of him.

"Very well. You have my word. Now will you tell us who employed you, and all you know of their purpose?" Clef asked.

"Yes. Yes, I will tell you."

oOo

"My employer is Ost, of Pedredan. I was approached a half year ago, by an intermediary, but he gave me the list of potential targets himself, and made me pick one. When I saw Cephiro on the list, I was glad; here was my excuse to hurt you."

"What were the other names?" Clef asked. He wasn't going to push for more information about the assassin himself - that was Cephiro's business, and none of Kuregu's, they'd already aired enough of that in public today. But this was a lead Kuregu would follow up on without them, if they left it, and it might be useful.

Hardwick shrugged. "The Representatives of Autozam, Solente, Gewaesc, Aquitaine. All lands whose hold on the table is weak, according to Ost's sources. May I continue?"

Clef nodded, ignoring the sardonic edge to the words, turning over this new information - Eorl hadn't lied about Solente's weakness, then, but Ost's 'sources' would have to be very influential indeed to know so. But if Hardwick had heard any mention of the Three as being those sources, he wasn't saying so.

"I hid close to Cephiro for a while, planning my attack and assessing your power so I could shape a negator about it; I had been hired for my ability to create that device. I couldn't attack directly because as an exile I could come no closer to Cephiro than the communications station, but I could still test you. When it was decided the Water Knight would come as well I withdrew, because there was not time to test her in the same way. Ost had me plan alternate strategies to cause panic among other attendants up to our arrival here. He gave those plans to someone; we were waiting on their decision when I learnt that one of the Staff was selling a scan of the Knight's aura as well as your own. Ost procured a copy, which took a while; and after testing its accuracy we reverted to the original plan.

"As for why. The negator and your death was meant to cause fear so people would be more likely to follow the first strong voice to take charge. Ost was furious when the disruption it still _did_ cause wasn't taken advantage of. I suspect the intended 'voice' was wary of getting their hands dirty when things weren't going to plan. After that it was hard to find a chance to attack, with so many people chasing you about the halls, and there was no point in trying the Bomb again unless I could find out how you evaded the first one - and none of my tracking spells were working. However you disguised your aura, it's very effective." He paused. Clef said nothing, just waited, and after a moment he continued again.

"Ost wanted you removed more than before; you were becoming an active irritant. I thought I might at least be able to overwhelm you with a multiple summons. The bomb must have done _some_ damage. But that failed, and then you left. I focused on avoiding suspicion until you found the original James. Without his name, I had no cover to leave this place. Ost might gain nothing now if you died, but I was still under contract, and I _would_ gain. I wanted to draw you into an open fight so these people would remember to fear you, to hate you. Even if I lost, I would win. If your lover took on the battle, I felt certain you would fight with her. That was where I miscalculated."

"I trust Umi. Strange though that might seem to you." He didn't look at her as he said it, uncomfortable aware how true it was.

Hardwick merely shrugged. "Your previous fits of temper over others trying to help you were plain even from my position watching from a distance. It matters little, though. I have failed, but perhaps the next person to try you will have better luck."

"_Next one_? After I've agreed to _help you_-" Clef spluttered.

"No, you vowed to _try_, and to not give up. I don't expect the council to let you succeed, but I'll gladly watch you burn yourself out upholding your vow. We made a deal, and I have upheld my part of it - you keeping yours won't entitle you to forgiveness. Not for you, and certainly not for Cephiro."

"But you _love_ Cephiro! Don't you?" Umi asked, almost begged. "Cephiro is your _home!_"

"I loved my Cephiro, and she threw me away long before you murdered her. Yours has never cared for me. Take it – take her away from me, take my magic, and I can find a new source for my spells. I'm good at learning to blend together new varieties of power."

Clef shook his head, and stopped himself shoving away from the table so plainly angry. "You aren't going anywhere that will be possible for a long time yet, Hardwick. First the UCA will take their records, examine you closely, and charge you with the crimes you have undoubtedly littered about the worlds. Once that's done, you'll be brought to _us_, and the Council will make their judgement." Clef pushed to his feet. "Thank you for the information. And to you, Honourable Representative, for this concession. The Lady Ryuuzaki and I are most grateful."

Kuregu nodded and stood, waving to his minions, who seemed to know what this meant. They bustled into action, moving paper and approaching Hardwick to re-cuff his hands. "I would arrive early to the Refection this evening, if I were you. As a tip." Kuregu said as he swept by them and out of the door. "One never knows what drama one might miss, after all."

"We shall keep it in mind." Clef said, bowing to Kuregu seriously for once. (Not _low_, that would be going too far - literally - but with a measure of respect.)

/_Ost?_/ Umi asked Clef, tone gleeful with anticipation.

/_I should think so_./ Clef replied, glancing her way. /_Back to our room now, I guess. Do you want-_/

/_Transport. _Please_. My legs kinda want to fall off right now._/ She grinned wryly at him, then she was standing and reaching out – he caught her hands in his own, in a hurry, before she could get closer, and drew them through the air.

They coalesced in their rooms. Clef turned away immediately, to the papers spread on the table, looking for things which still needed to be resolved before they left. But his mind didn't want to focus on anything, skittering off every thought he managed to frame, and he could see Umi reflected in the dark screen of the Comm even when he wasn't looking at her.

"Gods, how can I _ache_ so much?" she said, walking away from him and stretching gingerly as she did so. "Is there time for a bath before the Refect-whatever-it-is? No, there can't be. We were ages with Hardwick, and running late beforehand. I'll have to hope a shower can make me more human instead, I suppose." She flashed a grin back at him, a glimpse of white teeth swiftly hidden as she turned back. "Given this is all we have in place of a second Ball, what are the chances everyone will be dressed up in their best to the last stitch?"

"...High, I suppose." Clef said, on auto-pilot, watching her pull one of the dresses they'd made from the wardrobe.

"We have, what - maybe forty minutes to get ready? If you ordered room service - well, dinner was half over before we got out of the Assembly Hall, it'll have to be room service - you can eat while I jump through the shower. Or do you want to go first? ...I got mud in you hair, earlier. I spotted it while we were in with Hardwick, sorry."

"No, no - you go ahead." Clef said, and turned obediently to the Comm. as she vanished, though he did stop to glance in the mirror on his way across. He pulled a face at his reflection. There _was_ mud in his hair. Doubtless Kuregu had noticed it.

oOo

Umi slumped as she pulled the door shut and flicked the lock. She rubbed a hand firmly over her face, yanked the shower on, abandoned her clothes on the floor and stepped under the water while it was still freezing cold. The silence coming from Clef was still prickling uncomfortably, and she rolled her shoulders, her neck, trying to relax but the knots weren't _physical_ and she hissed and slammed one fist against the unforgiving wall.

Pain jabbed up her arm, and she sighed, leant her head against the cool of the tiles, and tried to breathe out the irritation which had been growing for hours now. _So I'm maybe a bit angry at Clef_. She thought, wryly. _For what? For not being impressed with my beating Hardwick? But I know that's not true, it wasn't until he had to bind him that he went all silent on me. I don't think it was, anyway. So, what, I'm mad at him for being upset before I could enjoy my victory?_ But that didn't seem right, either.

…_I can't _really_ be angry just because he's trying to have some privacy_ _while he freaks out about that, can I_? _That would be… really selfish._ But it felt uncomfortably true.

Another voice rang in her head, startling her so much she opened her eyes into the sting of the shower, and had to turn away from it, hissing. /_Perhaps not so much because he is hiding his thoughts from you, little one_./ said Selece, /_but because his doing so is reminding you what it feels like to be without such a connection, and that very soon you will be returning to that state..._/

"And I don't want to." She whispered, where the rush of the water falling would hide her words from everyone else. Tomorrow, they went home – to Cephiro – and she didn't want to think about it at all. But - /_…How did you _hear_ that? My shields-_/ she thought, suddenly, on a rush of panic. If Clef could hear her-

/_As I have said, you think loudly about the mage a lot._/

/_Not helpful, Selece!_/

/_Your shields are not aimed at me, my knight, nor would they keep me out. I am not a mortal to be held back such things._/ She thought of the binding, power slashing through her prison-spell, and the air on her damp skin felt colder by the second – she ducked back under the now-warm spray./_He, however, has heard nothing._/

/_…Thanks for small mercies, I guess._/

/_There is also the fact that he wielded your sword only reluctantly._/ Selece continued, and the visual Umi got on that – her bestowing a sword in place of some dainty token – won a laugh from her, though Selece seemed serious.

/_I don't think that's the problem, really._/ She thought, because, yeah, that had freaked him out, but mainly because he shouldn't be able to do it - which meant his problem was with the bond, again - and because of what he'd used it _for_, which she could hardly claim hadn't been terrifying. Even the edges of that power had been...

/_Then it is as I said, you are angry at the thought that you will have no more chances to use this partnership_. _When you return to Cephiro…_/

/_Things will go back to normal, and now I know what this is like, I don't want anything to do with 'normal'. I get it. I can't _do _anything about it, though! Clef's the _Master Mage_, he can't have anyone meddling with his power, and there are dozens of Guards better trained and more knowledgeable than I am to help him out. Besides, I have to go back to Tokyo. It's not my place, to be here._/

/…_Perhaps._/ Selece said.

Umi yanked the water off and swiped at her eyes until she could open them and glare across the room, at her own blurred reflection in the mirror and she hissed aloud, trusting the noise of the water to keep her secrets from Clef. "Don't you start talking about regrets. He's made it perfectly clear that this has to end – he's _making_ it clear _right now_, going silent on me! This is how it's going to be! Now leave me alone, I need to get dressed. I've only got one evening left of being useful, so I'm going to be as useful as I _possibly can_. That way-"

_That way, after this, there might be a chance he won't _hate_ me._

oOo

They traded rooms, and Umi made herself eat something while Clef showered. She was still picking at the food when the Comm gave a low chime, startling her. The door to the bathroom opened a moment later and Clef walked out, already fully dressed. "Was that the-" he began, then the Comm chimed again, and he went to answer it before Umi managed to unfold herself from her seat, still a little sore despite the shower.

The screen cleared to display the blonde who had been with Kuregu earlier, and she smiled warmly at Clef. Umi stepped across the room to stand by his shoulder, and the smile dropped a half-note before it stepped up again, aimed at her as well now. "Honourable Representative Clef! I am calling merely to inform you that the venue for this evening has been changed to the Ballroom."

"Thank you for the courtesy." Clef told her, and she rang off. "…Well, that confirms our theory about this evening."

"Replacement Ball it is." Umi agreed. "…Are you about ready to go?"

"Almost." He looked back at her, glancing over her outfit. She'd picked one of the simplest ones they'd made; a long dress made from an icily pale blue which draped about her (implying curves she didn't have) and fell rather like Presea's work-dress, but it was shorter, short enough to run in - and a little less translucent. It was fully lined with a darker material, so she shouldn't freeze in the air-conditioned Ballroom. A wide band of that same dark blue made a sash about her waist, and the top was held by a thin silver strap over each shoulder running from a chest-piece which was all curved lines of silver, the spaces between filled with a kind of deep blue enamel. Clef had reused a number of pieces of his own jewellery to fashion it. That was it, aside from the shoes (with heels low enough to run in), and a gauzy wrap to drape over her arms or tie an assassin up with.

And she was _not_ disappointed when he didn't comment on the choice. Really.

Clef held out a hand to her. "Lend me your arm a moment?"

Umi blinked, then he sighed and reached out, taking her left hand – where she was still wearing her gauntlet, and her confusion cleared. He stepped closer, focused tightly on the glove, and dragged his fingertips over the fabric, magic coiling about the touch. There was a moment when Umi was half certain the spell was about to break, the feedback flickering fitfully through her magic, but he bit his lip and the tug settled down, and when he stepped away –

When he was done, what she had about her hand was, well. It was her gauntlet, still, but… just the outlines of it, the band about her wrist and the one which curved over her hand, joined together by the stone in its setting. The space between was filled in with a scale-shaped filigree, the same silvery metallic substance as the rest now was. It was lighter, certainly decorative, but at the same time very plainly her gauntlet. She looked up at him, confused. Clef shrugged and stepped away.

"After this afternoon, we should be celebrating your good job as a bodyguard, not hiding it." He said, and Umi's breath caught in her throat.

She stood upright. "Okay, then." She said, squaring her shoulders and twitching at her skirts until they fell _perfectly_. "One last evening to impress them all and drag as many treaties out of these people as possible, right? Lets see how much of a private safety net we can build Cephiro."

oOo

The ribbons from the ball had been removed and the tables had encroached on the edges of the dance floor, but the mirrors were still in place, and there were flowers instead. They draped about the pillars and clustered at the foot of each mirror, a vase on every other table. Umi reckoned they must have trashed the Gardens to do this, so it was probably for the best that the door to the stairs was closed this evening.

She didn't want to go up there, anyway. Not now.

They were in the hall ten, fifteen minutes before Kuregu stalked in; time enough for there to be a good crowd, but not yet so many people that they could not see what was happening. Kuregu swept in backed not just by the omni-present aides, but by with uniformed Security anonymous behind visors and full uniform. It was strange enough to gather attention even before they walked forcefully through the crowd and to the centre of the room, below the best spotlights.

"Ost of Pedredan!" Kuregu said. No honorifics. The room took note, and the room gathered focus into an anticipatory audience, all conversation ceasing and people spilling away from the group from Pedredan, even those _with _Ost standing a little to the side, leaving him uncovered. (One of them went with a flash of bright colours not designed with discretion in mind. Robin?) Ost bowed his head to Kuregu, but lacked the control to keep the sharpness of unrighteous anger from his expression. But he was at least canny enough to keep his voice from betraying him.

"I am present."

"You are wanted for questioning in relation to the attacks made upon the Honourable Representative for Cephiro, and associated attempts to threaten the unity of this Alliance. You will turn yourself and your delegation into the custody of my Officers."

Ost hesitated, but there was nothing to be done. With the room watching, his reputation was damaged enough already, whatever the outcome. /_Kuregu's revenge. Public humiliation for the damage done to his reputation as the Host who couldn't stop our room being exploded?_/

/_Mm. Or Kuregu's action to keep Pedredan from being a threat to the stability of the inner table after this?_ _After all, his power comes partly from that stability_…/

There wasn't time to speculate more, because Eagle was approaching them, walking with a stocky, dark-skinned man Umi recognised after a moment as the Meor whose plans she'd missed by drowsing this afternoon. He greeted her and Clef now with a bright flash of white teeth, as cheerful as if they were well acquainted already, expressed his wish to be more so, brushed aside Clef's thanks for the proposal over the Roads - and was moving on again in under five minutes. Umi was left somewhat breathless.

"Well, that was... a little strange." Clef said, trying not to narrow his eyes as he watched Meor walk away. "Why has he become so friendly all of a sudden?"

"I suspect because Eoferwic's position on the table has been helped almost as much as Autozam's by your stunts." Eagle patted Clef's shoulder with a smile. "They were less shaky to begin with, of course, and neither of us is as steady as Cephiro's position now, but-"

"Eoferwic's position?" Clef glanced up at her, and they were both remembering that list Hardwick had given them. Eagle looked at them both, and his grin grew wider, echoed by Geo's behind him.

"Don't tell me you hadn't realised? Clef - you swayed over half the Assembly to support you! That kind of influence openly displayed is, well. With that _and _the demonstration of, uh, action this morning, Cephiro's place is far more stable, and so are _all the worlds about you who sided with you_."

"Ah." Clef said, his voice a little weak. "...We did accidentally create a faction, then."

"That explains all the treaties you're being offered." Umi murmured.

"True. I never expected this level of response. The agreements where they actually get something from us, perhaps, but all these loose 'alliances'..."

"They'll all be so loose that you can be cut free at the slightest hint of danger, but, yes." Eagle told them, eyes dancing. "It gives them a footing if they want to claim some relationship with you - and you with them. You're a force to be courted for the moment. Enjoy it while it lasts! Now _I_ have to go finish undoing Brooke's work, so if you'll excuse me - oh, and Zazu sends his greetings. He hopes to see you tomorrow morning, as he wasn't allowed to attend this event, but in case he doesn't..."

"Tell him I'm glad he's out of prison!" Umi said, with a laugh, as Eagle turned away, and they were accosted by the Representative for Huawei, who brought with her a reluctant-looking man Clef greeted as Representative Gethin of Tremaine.

The next few minutes were refreshingly argumentative; Umi hadn't even had a decent argument with Clef for... well, a while. Tremaine had an embargo against trading with Cephiro which dated back to the time of the Mage Wars, as Gethin told them proudly, and they were not going to drop it just because of some ridiculously undignified squabble which gave people a chance to display showy powers meant to intimidate others -

He _had_ agreed to come talk to them, though, and the woman who stood for Huawei nudged him gently until he agreed that he would raise the issue with his government when he returned home. "Thank you," Clef said, sincerely. "There aren't many of us out in our part of the Alliance, and I'd like us to be able to work together. Our region is too often neglected."

"Well, the big voices certainly aren't going to bother looking out for our interests." Gethin grumbled, shooting a glare across the room at - from where Umi was standing - what looked like the Huginn-Muminn faction.

"You might be interested by something which was proposed this afternoon, though." Clef said, drawing Gethin's attention back. "It was Eoferwic who suggested it, in fact, but there is going to be an assessment made on the Road system out our way."

"The lack of it, you mean?" Gethin's eyes went very sharp, all of a sudden.

Clef nodded. "He proposed the construction of new roads where there are none would be better for the Alliance than more alternatives to already existing routes. If we each have some sort of proposal ready next year... your links with the other worlds about us are stronger than Cephiro's. Would you pass the message about, so we can all be prepared? And perhaps we can begin to improve our situation somewhat."

After a heavy pause, Gethin nodded, just once. "Maybe you'll be of some use after all." He said, then turned and was gone, the Representative for Huawei sighing and going off after him, while Clef stifled a laugh and relaxed enough to truly grin at Umi for the first time since the binding.

They were accosted again before they'd taken three steps, and that set the tone for the evening. There was no chance for a repeat of the Ball – the lightheartedness, the dancing. Clef was kept firmly among the tables, even when others _did_ begin to dance, and Umi stayed quietly by his shoulder; more than one of the other representatives invited her onto the floor after they'd spoken with Clef; she smiled and shook her head and put each of them off, waving her gauntleted hand in a polite reminder that she was a bodyguard and here to do a job. "A pity," one of the women said, with a sigh. "You move so beautifully, dear. He'd better appreciate what you're doing for him." Umi blinked at her without a reply; fortunately she walked away without expecting one.

The thing was, it wasn't even the pandering, simpering kinds of people coming up to them. There were others, coming and apologising for only now being seen with them _openly_ instead of coming to talk privately.

oOo

Nearly an hour into proceedings Clef dislodged the Representative for Indira, who mostly wanted to steal Umi's dress, so far as he could tell, and spotted the Chizetan delegation coming towards them. Tatra wore red and gold and copper, and all over her outfit the silk _shimmered_ as she moved, catching the eye and holding it. It wasn't quite so strong a compulsion as the jingling net she'd worn before, but it still distracted – a subtle spell whispering out to make people relax, feel welcome, as long as they were even faintly aware of her presence. Clef shook his head a little to clear it, then had to nudge Umi through the shields until she blinked and looked away from the Princess, a light blush on her cheeks.

"You're not meant to be enchanting your allies, Tatra." Umi muttered, as they got close enough. Tatra beamed, a faint hint of mischief in the expression.

"I'm only making people a fraction less argumentative – it's a very diplomatic enchantment. After this afternoon, I was worried people would be feeling inspired."

Umi blushed harder. "I'm surprised you don't consider it cheating." Clef put in, carefully keeping his voice low enough it shouldn't be overheard.

"No more than poisoning half the Table. This is _tradition_." Tatra pointed out.

"How many more traps are being set up behind that word?" Clef asked, more plaintively than he meant to. He sounded tired, felt it strongly enough it was probably whispering through the bond to Umi despite his best efforts, and he'd had enough of this – all of this. He just wanted to get tomorrow over and done with.

Umi swayed towards him then away again, wavering – but Tatra was still managing to watch the crowds, and cleared her throat. "I believe your attention is desired by the Representative for Ampera, Master Clef. His land's threads are the very finest quality – most of Chizeta's best cloth is made from them. Let me introduce you."

She eased Clef into swift negotiations with a man whose land had to be close enough to trade culture as well as silks with Chizeta, and the climate was probably similarly hot; the style of his clothing was familiar from their visit, though the decoration was more geometric, and the fabric layered in deference to the merely temperate warmth of the Venue was more translucent than gauzy, soft milky colours which contrasted well with the strong dark of his skin.

"Of course, I understand that Cephiro may as yet have little interest in our threads, but we are _very_ interested in your gemstones, Honourable Representative. The potential use for our most discerning of customers is – well, you will know well how convenient, decorative and durable your stones are. Our Guild members are _very_ intrigued by the agreement we hear you have in place with Chizeta – we hope that yours is not an _exclusive_ export agreement…?" He tilted his head at Tatra as well as Clef.

"It's not." Clef confirmed, and the man's smile widened into a genuine one, laugh-lines crinkling about his eyes. "I have to warn you that our exports cannot grow too much – we must be careful in our mining to not hurt our land. But I'm certain our Merchants will have supplies enough for a certain number of exclusive clients. Shall we take this opportunity to make a preliminary agreement?"

He… wasn't comfortable. Clef _wasn't_ a merchant. Trade contracts were his least favourite to set up, but they usually had the most direct benefits for Cephiro, so he had learnt the phrases he needed. It took hours with Dart, Master of the Guild of Merchants, talking about what Cephiro had to offer, what it might be worth, what they might want in return. But it all had to be deathly boring to Umi. He was thankful when the Princess drew her away a few steps, somewhere behind him; at least one of them could have a real conversation for a while.

oOo

Umi let Tatra pull her away from Clef only slowly, but it wasn't likely anyone would attack him in the middle of a crowd of suitors for Cephiro's influence, and Umi badly wanted someone to talk to - a friend. Who wasn't _Clef_. But Tatra had barely had time to say hello before she was called away, and Umi sighed, glanced about, and resigned herself to drifting back and standing at attention by Clef once more.

There were crystal flutes of a pale green drink being handed about, a delicate scattering of bubbles running along the inside of each glass. Champagne - or a close equivalent, ignoring the colour. Nearly every person in the room held one. Even Clef was sipping from a glass, listening to the Representative for... Whituvii, she thought, and didn't know whether to be glad or annoyed that she remembered the name to go with a person who was going to mean nothing to her from now on, at least so far as Clef was concerned, and - probably she needed to stop that line of thought before she hit something. So when the nearest server turned about and offered her the last glass on his chrome-and-ceramic tray, Umi accepted.

The glass was thick, heavily faceted like crystal so the liquid seemed to glow; when she tilted it over the drink moved a fraction slower than water would. She was just over two years from ordering a drink in Tokyo, but she'd tried champagne and sake and wine with her parents before now. Why not this too? If it even was alcoholic in the first place.

The poison-detection spell was too familiar for the amount of time she'd known it. It reflected back to her slowly, light truly flickering among the bubbles for a second before she felt the usual coolness, and with it the faintest hint of a static-sharp bite, bitter in the back of her throat. More lightning than she'd intended in the spell, she thought, wearily, and raised the glass to her lips as she turned away from the server.

Her first taste was laying thick on her tongue when Clef's sharply focused anger hit her, and then he was _there_, snatching the glass from her loosening fingers.

_Ah_. She thought, looking at his expression, the world going strangely muffled as shock coated her.

_...I guess the spell _wasn't _wrong, then. _

oOo

end chapter twenty two

oOo

an: The assassin-formerly-known-as-James's codename, Hardwick, is the name of one of the most atrocious roundabouts in the country, just outside Kings Lynn. Or it was, and now there's a bypass over the top of it in the direction my family has to use, so it's not as bad anymore - but it's still lots of lanes with the paint constantly wearing off so one doesn't know where one should be... (Being a Cephiran, he needed a car-related name - but as it's a fake name, I thought a junction would do instead of a car? XD)

(I meant it, I will try to update at LEAST within the next month! Eep. *author flees*)


	23. Chapter 23

TRIGGER WARNING for issues of loss of autonomy (skip to the end of the chapter for more information)

an: *Raises head meekly* Seriously, how is anyone still reading this? I AM SO SORRY. I say this every time! It's always true! This year has been… eventful? I am now employed, twice, and had another job (unpaid) for three months before getting these two, and…yes. Eventful! But I am getting the hang of it now, and also the Rayearth Forum – .net, is back up and running, and there are a bunch of us flailing over there, which has dragged me back down into a constant state of LOVE for Rayearth.

As a result of which - I have been writing and posting some, uh, snippety Rayearth things and things which have a slightly/quite a bit higher rating on archive of our own, where I am 'down', with 'dragon of winter nights' as a sub-name for (eventually) posting the (revised) Protecting You, as well as the sequels when I get that far, and also sidefics - a number of which are slowly beginning to filter onto the internet, and which I'm going to start posting here too... (I didn't want to touch ffn until I had this done!) There is also some complete crack up on AO3 from me now, heh. And there's a link across in my profile if anyone wants to go take a look.

Major thanks to everyone who has encouraged me on this chapter, including my beta, who doesn't let me get away with things, and Milieva, who has been poking me roughly every DAY the past two months and would totally have let me get away with posting an unbetad 17k chapter. *grins* She's also bribing me with fic. It's totally working?

This is… um. Long. Hopefully it also works. It was a pain, because Clef freaking out and attempting not to? Is not a good vehicle for channeling prose through. Whoops… But I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, SO MUCH. I know I haven't even got back to those of you with accounts this time, but please know I love every comment people take time to send me. This time, I am even going to try to stop freaking out and actually answer them!

And now I will shut up and get out of the way.

~down

oOo

Chapter Twenty Three : Out Of (Your) Mind

oOo

The world blurred down to a rush over Umi's head, passing her by; a catch in her breath and a coldness she couldn't shake eating away at her senses, dragging possessive fingertips down her spine. Clef caught tight hold of her wrist and awareness rattled about her but couldn't quite make it inside.

"How much did you swallow?" Clef hissed, voice low and urgent. Umi pressed her tongue to the top of her mouth and tried to draw a clean breath of air, had to swallow hard before she had a voice to answer with. It was strange, how steady her voice sounded. How normal.

"A mouthful, just that, no more. Clef-"

_What have I taken_? She wanted to snap, to yell, but Clef closed his eyes for a fraction of a second and something in his expression halted her. She saw him draw a breath, shuddering and deep, before he raised his voice a fraction too much to be talking to _her_.

"This has _kuracchi_ in it, Umi, you _know_ you're allergic to that! If you'd managed to drink any of it - what happened to asking me for the ingredients before you try anything new? I don't want to put up with you complaining your mouth itches all the way home tomorrow!"

…Kuracchi? Wasn't that one of the fruits she had eaten on Chizeta? One she had _liked_?

She couldn't be about to… to keel over. Not if he was playing for an audience. She had no doubt he would have dragged them both out of the room without pausing if he had to, and he was certainly not talking to _her_. She wrapped her determination about that fact and used it to haul herself back under something like control. "You were drinking it!" She snapped back at him, and got the tiniest nod of encouragement, the faintest tightening of his hold on her arm, and it wasn't hard to sound annoyed with him because she _was_, spitting mad, and shaking underneath – and _what had she taken?_ "Damn it, Clef, everyone's drinking it! And you were so busy talking _business-" _

"So you decided to punish me by making yourself feel miserable?" He glared at her for a moment, then span about and set the glass down with a sharp crack on the tray of the server who had given it to her.

The waiter who, now she looked… put him in fancier clothing, unbind his hair from the tight knot hiding it, and you would be looking at the aide who had been with Kuregu that afternoon. The one whose now-disguised hair she had been too jealous of to note the features of the man himself.

Staring at him she almost missed the flickers of light in the sticky-sweet liquid, but she felt the echoes reporting back to Clef, the bond between them cracked open again;he was radiating emotion after an afternoon of silence, and none of it happy. She bit down on her tongue before she started loudly demanding answers.

Clef glared at the false-waiter, making him pale like a ghost. "_Get out of here_." Clef ordered, too low to be overheard. There was no doubt the aide knew what he had done; he flinched away, glancing at Umi. "Get out of here, and don't let either of us _ever see you again_."

The waiter flinched into motion, dragging the tray close to his body and hunching over it as he scurried away, grace abandoned for speed. His passage disturbed the crowds, and a few extra curious faces turned their way; Umi watched, numbly, until Clef wrapped his fingers about both her hands and dragged her attention back to him.

"Sorry, Clef." She said, honesty cracking through her voice, and bad enough she'd been stupid enough to even take a drink from someone here and ignore the warning-spell – she couldn't, _wouldn't_ fall apart in front of these people. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"Well, I guess it's partly my fault, abandoning you for so long. You always manage to find trouble somehow." Clef's voice was still loud enough for the eavesdroppers to follow, but they wouldn't feel the way his hands went tighter on hers as he said 'my fault'.

Umi found herself distantly bemused by the convenience of their inconvenient cover-story even now everyone knew she could fight. After that afternoon anyone would understand him feeling protective of his lover when she tried to get into trouble. Hopefully they'd miss the part where his bodyguard _had_.

Clef began to draw her away. But instead of pulling her to the exit – or even back to his half-finished negotiations – he headed past the waiting figures and on to the back of the room, to the dance floor.

"Come on, then. If you're that bored, I suppose I should entertain you for a few minutes - excuse me, please." He nodded to the he was abandoning as they passed. "It seems I've been neglecting the Lady Ryuuzaki shamefully this evening." Their indulgent smiles made Umi's cheeks flame hot, her stomach churn.

(_Unless that was from-_)

She ducked her head and stumbled on, letting the tables and people they wove through blur together. The last few obstacles gave way to the free space of the dance floor and Clef gathered her close, wrapped his arms about her. Umi gave in and leant into him, dropping her head to rest against his shoulder. Thank heavens it was a slow dance and she didn't have to think, just let Clef lead her in a slow swaying circle.

"Umi-" He whispered, then she felt his fingers twist in her hair and his thoughts pressed against her mind. /_Umi- they won't interrupt us here, it's as private as we can be._/

/_What is it? What have I taken, Clef?_/ She closed her eyes and let him spin then wherever he cared to while she struggled with her control. /_That drink – what – am I-_/

/_A drug aimed at mages like us, who-_/

She shot upright to stare at him, nearly hitting her head against his chin. /_Not poison?_/

/_What?_/ He caught on to her fear and misstepped so badly they fell out of time with the music for one bar, two, before he dragged them back in line with the beat. /_No! No, you're not -_/ His vehemence struck her like a tidal wave, too strong to be a lie. /_Not dying, Umi, you – do you really think I'd have kept us here if you were – that I'd have let him go just like that? No!_/

Umi blinked, hard, then buried her head against his shoulder again and screwed her eyes tight against the terrible prickling of tears as he pulled her close, thinking apologies at her for shouting. His arms were steady about her, his cheek warm against her temple, and in that moment she forgave him every inch of distance he'd forced on them that afternoon, because he'd brought her to the one place in the room where she could fall apart without anyone noticing what was happening.

She was still – it wasn't good, she had still taken something which sent bitter fear through Clef's thoughts, but compared to what she had imagined… /_What will it do to me?_/

/_It – on most mages, it erodes control. Makes you pliable, open to suggestion – to questioning. But Cephiran mages… Our magic is such an intrinsic part of us; we seem to simply lose control, and act on impulse alone. Quick to react, to anger. Like Brooke, when he attacked outright. In his right mind he wouldn't have done something so stupid even if he'd wanted to. Probably, anyway. I guess it depends what kind of stupid it was._/

Umi couldn't even smile at that. The most she managed was an awkward twitch of her lips, still hidden against the curve of Clef's neck. /_So it's likely to, what, make me violent?_/

/_…Yes._/

She was holding on to Clef so tight it had to be hurting him, but he didn't complain. People wanted to use _her_ to shame Clef? To make her cause a scene – to hurt people, out of control of herself, and shame Cephiro? She felt sick. There were children in here, hundreds of people who had done nothing to offend her – and many who had, but only with _words_.

The afternoon's fight lashed through her memory. If she turned that kind of power on anyone who couldn't defend themselves…

And that moment's weakness was all the break Selece needed to escape the grip she had on him. Cold slammed down over her, goosebumps breaking out over her bare arms as he flooded into her mind with a snarl, with all the violence she was flinching away from. Even Clef stumbled, hissing against her ear, his breath hot on her skin and jarring against Selece's presence. But he kept them upright and moving, which was more than Umi could have done with the world vanishing about her as Selece overpowered all her senses, her thoughts.

/_HOW DARE THEY?_/ Selece's rage poured into the gaps where she had gone numb, and she scrabbled to contain him, and to stop herself just vanishing off into her Mashin where she would be _safe_, where people wouldn't _put things in her drinks-_

/_I will find them!_/ Selece snarled. /_I will find them, whoever they be and I will-_/

Her grasp on him wasn't strong enough to keep his words from leaking through to Clef. It was Clef who snapped back, while she was occupied just staying where she was, and on her feet, and breathing. /_Not now! You'll only draw people's attention to us, and we have to get Umi out of here safely! If they know it _worked_, someone will try _something-/

Selece growl rumbled through Umi's chest, itching in her throat. /_You will look after her, mage, and then you will find me the ones responsible for this, and I shall _make them pay_._/ Selece promised, and Umi waited for Clef to tell him no, he couldn't do that – but Clef hesitated, like he was actually tempted to _agree_.

But they were both _idiots_, and that gave Umi the resolve to pull herself together.

/No_, Selece. If they're harmed, whoever they are,_/ and she carefully didn't think of Kuregu_._ It wasn't utterly certain it was his doing, after all – and she didn't think she could hold Selece back if he had a target./_It's Cephiro who will pay for it. Us, not them._/

/_But-_/

/_No. You will _promise _me you won't do anything of the sort._/

There was a pause, echoing with the snarl he wasn't uttering – and with his concern, so vast and deep that Umi reached out for him, let their connection wrap about her instead of trying to hold him back. /_It's all right. Clef will look after me. Thank you, Selece, but I don't want you to hurt them. And… it's my choice._/

/…_So fierce, my little one._/ He sighed, resigned. /_Very well. I vow not to harm those who have acted against you tonight for what they have done here._/

/_One more thing. I need you to promise you won't come if I call you tonight. If I'm going to be out of control, I need you not to come to me. Who knows what I might ask you to destroy. So, until I'm myself again…_/

/…_Umi_…/ Clef whispered, wrapping his arms tighter about her. Selece sighed, subsiding until he didn't press so hard at the boundaries of her mind.

/_Unless you are in immediate danger, I will not manifest and attack at your request tonight. Does that suffice?_/

/_Thank you._/

/_Do not linger here._/ He ordered Clef, who radiated agreement. /_I do not trust these people to not take advantage of this situation, should they realise it._/

/_I certainly don't mean to let them! Hopefully we've thrown them off the scent by not retreating immediately, which would have been the expected response if she'd drunk any of it. We should be able to slip out without too many people noticing soon._/

Selece grumbled, but he faded away and she took a deep breath for the first time since he'd joined them. She pulled back a little further from Clef as the music shifted into a slightly faster tempo, and forced them back to their original conversation.

/_So, Clef. What, exactly, have I taken?_/

It was a plea for him to launch into one of his explanations. From the way he hesitated, she thought he wasn't going to humour her; then his shoulders slumped, and he looked away.

/_It's a drug – well, in truth, it's closer to a virus, but it's used as a drug – used on mages, like I said_._ It's actually illegal within the UCA, which means it's also expensive, and rare._/

/_Just on mages? Why?_/

/_Because it feeds on magic._ _It's made from cells from a plant – a parasite, really – which grows on a magic-rich world not too far outside the boundaries of the UCA. It feeds on the magic produced by other organisms; clings to the walls of shrines and sucks away the energy of the worshippers, the spirits who live there. Sends spores into the air and drains anything which inhales it. This version is dead, it can't grow the same way, but it still feeds off our power; as a by-product it releases a chemical which affects judgement. It erodes control, and it erodes control over magic most acutely. Besides which, the chemicals are toxic as well as mind-altering so illness follows until your body fights it off. The combination of low power and high fever leaves us vulnerable to any enemy_./

/_I'm going to want to be bad, and then I'll _feel_ bad. Right._/ There was a hysterical little laugh fighting its way out of her throat; Umi swallowed it back down. She wasn't sure the familiarity of his semi-lecture was actually worth knowing all this, but not knowing would have been worse. Probably.

/_With the small amount you've taken, it will take some time to have an effect; half an hour, maybe? And you should fight it off swiftly, as there is so little of it. Hopefully you won't have many symptoms?_/

He sounded far too uncertain. /_But why would people _have_ such a thing?_ _Why bother to smuggle it if it's so expensive and illegal, and there are other poisons which make people just as ill or controllable? They can't have used this on Brooke, he isn't a mage!_/

Clef sighed, softly. /_Because it's virtually undetectable by magic, and there's no spell I've heard of which can neutralise it._ _It's also completely harmless to those without power, as it has no energy source to work with_./

/_…Ah._/

/_…It was a popular weapon in the mage wars, for the non-magical who could get hold of it. It's about as much of a myth as Cephiro._/

/_So people think it's just a legend, but then sometimes it turns up to the meetings and starts voting?_/

/_Yes_./ He dropped his head to rest their foreheads together, closing his eyes, and they twisted aimlessly on the spot. /_I'm sorry, Umi._/

She still felt like an idiot for having been too high on her victory (and too low from the silence between them) to _think_ before she ignored the warning in the detection spell. /_I should be the one saying sorry, Clef._/

/_No! Don't be sorry - don't you start to apologise, Umi! This isn't _your_ fault!_/

/_I should have read the poison spell right. Or at least asked you what the oddness meant._/

/_You learnt that spell less than a week ago! It's far too complex to master this soon, even without our magic being so tangled. Umi, even I didn't recognise that reaction when I first felt it!_/

/_Yes, well, but you wouldn't have drunk anything!_/

His hands tightened. /_I did, though._/

/_You - I - no! I... you were drugged?_/

Something fell into place, and she leant back to look at him, focusing properly on something which _wasn't_ the thing creeping through her body.

/_…That's what Kuregu thought he had. When he tried to blackmail you, I mean._/ She was certain enough it wasn't even a question, but the shift away from her would have answered if it had been. /_And you were alone here_./ She thought, horror rising, and her hands tightened on him until he laughed aloud, the sound anything but happy.

/_Not entirely. That was rather the problem, in the end._/

/_Clef…_/

Clef closed his eyes, and when he opened them again and faced her his expression was so open she didn't want to see it, couldn't look away.

/_It wasn't quite a seduction, but it probably would have been if that would have given them any hold on me. Instead they dosed me with that stuff. _He _dosed me with it, the aide who had spent the past week and a half acting like a decent person, working his way closer, until it was plain I wasn't going to just start telling him state secrets or leaving papers lying about even if I had let him into my bed. I was… lost, at those first Assemblies. I didn't know what I was doing, and I just… I was blundering about trying not to mess up. Trying to keep my temper._/

Umi held steady against him, frightened of interrupting the words spilling faster and faster from him, a confession which must have been weighing on him since they arrived.

/_He dosed me, because I stupidly trusted him enough to take the drink from him and ignore any hint of strangeness in the spell. And when the plan went wrong, and when I was left drugged and struggling for control, dangerous and frightened and ill, he stayed with me, and looked after me, and proved I had been right. He did care. But that neither stopped him trying to flirt his way into my confidence, when he had no actual interest in being there, nor stopped him handing me that drink when the first plan failed._/

/_…That's why you dislike the aides so much?_/

/_I hate what they've agreed to be, signing up to Kuregu's regime. To get what they're asked to, they'll betray everything about themselves. Identity, interest, moral decency – Kuregu's demands are somehow more important, and that he can have that power over them… it's terrifying._/ He shrugged, and took a breath deep enough to make him shudder.

/_But, yes. That's what Kuregu thought he had over me. Why he knows the effect it has on a Cephiran – I've no doubt he tested it on his own people afterwards – and why he thought I wouldn't detect it, as they never knew I got a read off it – not given I drank it anyway. They wanted to ask me questions about Cephiro's weaknesses, all the rules we weren't following, all the ways we shouldn't really have any right to that seat on the Table. It would have been disastrous. Whether or not he used the information, Cephiro would have been under Kuregu's control. But I lost control of my magic and my temper when they tried to ask about her_._ They needed an emergency healing for two of the aides; I was lucky that the Guard had people who could respond quickly enough to save them._/

/_...Clef..._/ She said, and she would have hugged him then but he shook his head, distress vibrating through his hands, through their magic.

/_And now you're- I'm so sorry, Umi. Because of me, the same thing has happened to you. If I'd warned you…_/

/_How many times am I going to have to say it's not your fault? Even if you'd told me, I wouldn't have recognised that taste as anything but too much of your power in the spell!_/ She snapped, barely keeping herself silent as she cut him off. He tried to pull back, but she'd managed to wrap one hand about his neck as they danced, winding through the soft hair curling about the base of his skull, so all that really happened was he opened his eyes and stared at her from a few inches away. She didn't mean to shout at him, not after that, but she couldn't _bear_ being part of the reason for him to feel so bad.

/_But it is! Even without that, I made you a target, bringing you here_-/

/_Idiot. I made myself a target, running about battering 'invincible' assassins with swords all afternoon. It's what I came here for – what Ferio's paying me for_./

/_But only because of me – if I wasn't here, you wouldn't be, either_./

/_Maybe not_./ She said, with a huff. /_But only because anyone else sent here would be sensible enough to bring a whole _team_ of Guards_./

/_But-_/

/_Of course, they'd have died the night of the explosion, if they'd even lasted that long. And they certainly wouldn't have been idiotic enough to stand up and say no so fiercely to the Defence Force, so that would probably have gone through. Eagle wasn't here to start anything early enough, Tatra would have needed to drop the airhead act and that would have meant too many people distrusting her for it to work, and ChangAn is too set in his ways to start a rebellion – people would be too startled to listen to him! I bet you no one else would have chosen it; I bet they wouldn't have won._/

"Umi…" He breathed, again, eyes wide, an endless, fractured blue, and did he really think that she could have done all she had, any of it, without believing in what he was doing?

In what _they_ were doing?

/_I'm not sorry_./ She told him, fiercely. /_I'm_ not sorry, _and I don't want you to be, either. Nothing you say will change that. This is nothing like the same thing that happened to you, because you're here with me. I _know_ you won't let anything happen to me, you won't – won't let _me_ happen to anyone else! You'll have to put up with me being an awful, whiny patient. That's enough punishment for anyone, deserved or not, and you really _might_ deserve it for thinking I wouldn't come if Cephiro needed me here, with or without you! You aren't the only one who gets protective of her, Clef!_/

She ran out of steam there, and dropped her head to his shoulder, letting go of him and stopping her hands from doing anything more forceful than clutching his shoulders. There was a pause, and the next thought came quiet, and small, and… meek.

/_May I be sorry that you're going to feel bad?_/

/…_Yeah, okay, you can get away with that._/

She closed her eyes and leant against him as they twisted, barely moving from the spot, and slowly the worst of the tension shivered out of Clef's shoulders, his arms. He pressed his cheek against her hair, and sighed.

/_Come on, we've danced enough people aren't watching us anymore, we'll go back to our suite. You'll be safe there_./

Clef tugged at her, but Umi leant back and stayed where she was.

He wasn't the only one here who could be protective of Cephiro, indeed, she thought wryly, a plan forming. She couldn't control what the drug was going to do to her, but maybe… maybe she could still chose to control the effect it had on them. Running back to their rooms felt like letting Kuregu win anyway, chasing them away from the last chance to drag concessions out of these people. /..._How long is left? Of this sort-of Ball?_/

/_Perhaps an hour and a half. Maybe a little less?_/ He frowned at her, and then he caught up with her (mildly shaky) resolve and his eyes narrowed further. /_No, Umi!_/

/_As long as I'm not... not a danger, Clef, we _have_ to stay. I know politicians. They won't give you these promises next time you see them. Awe doesn't last that long, and you aren't going to throw Cephiro into the permanent hot-seat where they might hold onto it for a while and court your attention. It's now or never, and we could really use these connections, we both know so_./

She met his eyes firmly, ignoring the uneasy twisting in her stomach. In truth she wanted nothing more than to hide away from everything until she knew she was in control of herself, but the world wouldn't wait, no matter how valiantly Clef tried to promise her it could. She was tired, shaky, frightened; if the adrenaline crash earlier had been the rug pulled out from under her, then this was the floor giving way. But.

_But._

/_You trusted me earlier, with Hardwick. Now I'm trusting you with me. Promise we'll stay as long as we can, and I'll do everything you say without a fight_./

She knew she'd won when his eyes widened at that - he must have caught some of her discomfort with handing over control. Even with the bond, with all the trust she had, it wasn't easy. (And she was going to have to tell him about her nightmares now, the ones she still had of the time Aska's spell turned her hand against Hikaru and Fuu. She'd dragged so many of his bad dreams into the open it was only fair.) He stayed silent, and she pushed again.

/_How many people do you still need to speak to? You haven't spoken to all the people you meant to, not with Indira and the others constantly coming back to get in the way._/ He hesitated, and Umi frowned. /_Should I remind you that I'll get mad if you lie to me? And I'll know. We're trying to avoid me losing my temper. So, how many?_/

/..._Three. There are three Representatives left I should make an effort to find_./

/_So we'll find those three, and then we'll leave._/ She told him, firmly.

This was her choice.

Clef closed his eyes and clasped her hand with his own, drew it to his mouth, pressing drink – sticky lips to her knuckles. "As you wish." He said, softly but aloud. He looked so worried, so reluctant, that Umi wanted to hug him again for letting her make this choice without all the arguments he could so easily have given against it, but they were still in the middle of a den of mildly drunken snakes.

There was work to be done, and now they had a time limit.

oOo

This now won the award for most nerve-wracking party Clef had ever been to. Umi was in trouble, and she was still trying to make him feel better. She'd heard him confess nearly all his worst mistakes, one way or another, and yet she was still standing by his side, trusting him so terrifyingly much.

Clef needed to pull himself together, and be worthy of it. He could not let her down.

This didn't come naturally to either of them, he knew, all too well. He might have learnt to read people, but trying to talk them about - all the networking and manoeuvring - he had never needed before, and it did _not_ come naturally. Besides which, each new piece of manipulation, of steering others about, made him feel guilty.

It didn't help that the first time he had needed to lie like this was to the newly-summoned knights.

As for Umi - she was honest to the point of being completely tactless, and years of exposure to politics growing up might have taught her the rules, but that didn't change the fact her first instinct was always to attack any weakness she saw. She was sharp, and sharp-eyed, and this was an entire crowd of people she could read as a threat to them.

Kuregu was easy enough to spot even in the dense sycophantic cluster of people about him as Clef looked across the room; he was taller than many and stood straighter than everyone else, a permanent iron rod fastened to his spine. Clef twisted the fingers of his free hand, the motion hidden by the sway of his clothes as he walked, and he barely had to concentrate to fling the thought-spell at Kuregu.

The spell met a layer of whispering resistance; Kuregu must be wearing some kind of anti-magic ward, how Dleivan of him. But pointless. Clef wasn't going to be stopped by anything so meagre. He blasted through it like a cobweb, noting with satisfaction how it fell irreparably to shreds. Kuregu faltered halfway through some expansive gesture, head snapping up.

/_I hope for your sake you _intended_ to win enemies other than Ost tonight, Kuregu. Add three more to the tally, and one of us a God._/

That was all Clef said. He dropped the connection as abruptly as he'd formed it, and just in time – Umi, distracted by the spell she'd probably felt the edges of, was about to lead them into a table.

"What did you just-" She spluttered, aloud, as he steered them about it. "Did you _really-_"

…Perhaps he'd been a little too loud. And his shields… weren't quite as high as they should be. "He needed to know not to try anything else tonight, that we're on guard."

"…And I thought it was _my_ temper we were worried about." Umi muttered, darkly.

"I wasn't…" He stopped, bit his lip. The force with which she'd insisted Selece stay out of this weighed on him. "No reaction would have made him suspicious, Umi. Given the…" The role they were acting out here.

"Flimsy excuse. You just wanted to yell at someone." She didn't sound too angry, though, or like she felt he'd pushed in on her territory. "…I guess that one was your call, as we're staying a while."

Ah.

He really needed to warn Umi just who he'd meant to speak with. Clef couldn't rule out the chance she _would_ know if he tried to fob her off with easier conversations. He'd been leaving the more problematic two until, hopefully, the complementary drinks had mellowed them. Or perhaps he'd simply been putting it off while there was still other business to be done, uncertain how wise this was.

Now he was paying for that procrastination.

They threaded between scattered people and furniture. /_Umi… I need to finish up the conversation I was having, and the next person I want to find is, well, Schwarzem._/ He thought, . and was almost pulled over when Umi stalled beside him. He tugged her back into motion.

/_Schwarzem? But – he was in on the whole Army thing! We thought he was _evil_ for a while there!_/

/_And now we know it was Ost behind the attacks… I know, Umi. He doesn't seem the likeliest ally. But he never openly allied himself with the Three or Huginn-Muminn-_/

/_So he's a politician, colour me shocked-_/

/-_except on that one issue, which is _resolved_. I have to make some kind of gesture to show Cephiro isn't prejudiced against other lands simply because they vote a different way to us. We're all here to represent our land, our people; sometimes that's going to be different for each of us - none of the lands who campaigned for the Army have come to speak to me, though I've approached a few of them. He's the most obvious candidate to reach out to – he's close enough to the Table that we actually might be of use to each other in the future, if he's willing to consider it. Which means he's significant enough to be noticed, and people will have noted he voted for the Army even if they don't recall he called for it. So there's something in it for him too./_

/_But he's not going to like you forcing the issue in public_./

/_…Maybe. Given my record with the more prominent supporters…_/

/_You and Elphinstone nearly started fighting over the Table, in full view of everyone. I remember._/ She shot him a wry look. /_It was rather memorable._/

/_I have to try._/ They were nearing the group he'd abandoned for Umi, still clustered where he'd left them and apparently talking happily enough among themselves. /_If you could spot him, while I finish up here? We were nearly done._/ He wouldn't have bothered going back, but he didn't dare be so discourteous. And Umi stood a little straighter with something to do besides worry over the drug.

He was greeted with indulgent expressions which made his skin crawl, but he made himself smile back – and he pulled Umi through into the knot of people with him. It would make her task harder, but last time he'd let her wander off – no. (He'd promised to look out for her, and how could he do that if he couldn't _see_ her?)

This wasn't some complex negotiation or debate. These were lands who'd never thought about what they might ask Cephiro for, or offer her, because who would have suspected they'd want to? They were all looking for a chance to make overtures, to quiz him on Cephiro's stance over their pet issues. (He hadn't even heard of some of the _lands_, let alone their problems – like Ips and Norw, and the trade imbalance between them. But 'Cephiro doesn't actually care' wasn't an acceptable answer, however honest, and he scraped together enough focus to reassure them that Cephiro was interested in learning more about their point of view. It was probably even the truth.)

Clef disentangled himself from them with more grace than the first time, and offered his arm to Umi; she took it and used it to steer him through the crowd, towards the main doors. "He's by the column just over there. See him? In black and copper. He's been creeping closer to the exit since I spotted him, I think he's trying to leave."

"I see him." Schwarzem's clothes were sober in cloth and cut, but metal gleamed from wrists, neck, and ankles, in deference to the occasion. Getting through this swiftly and politely was their best chance of getting out of here _safely_, before the drug had a chance to get to Umi. He needed to focus, but he couldn't make himself focus without also being aware of her.

His shields had already slipped a little; now he lowered them until he could feel Umi's surprise at it, but she didn't say anything, just dropped back a fraction as they reached Schwarzem. Clef was loathe to let her out of his view, and she must have caught that – and be either humouring him or picking her battles with caution – because she stayed where he could see her in his peripheral vision.

"Good evening, honourable Representative." Clef bowed, lower than he usually would to someone not a known ally – he wanted it clear he wasn't here to mock, which meant he couldn't bow too deeply either.

Looking up, he'd managed at least to confuse Schwarzem instead of angering him: the man's usual scowl hadn't deepened into a glower. "…Good evening, honourable Representative Clef."

"I realise that there has been little enough contact between our lands before now, and I wish to say that that has been an error on the part of Cephiro." Clef said, watching for Schwarzem's reaction all the time – Umi seemed steadier than he felt himself, right then. "It does not have to remain so."

"…I might ask why, when we voted against you on the most important issue of this Conference." Schwarzem's eyebrows had almost vanished up under his hair. "We've never had reason to speak before this. Why begin now?"

"We've never had cause to speak before, but that does not mean we will never have such a cause. And voting differently on one issue, or two, does not mean that we will be opposed to each other on the next. If, in future, we are in agreement, I would be glad of it. If we are not, then I would not wish that to discourage communication between us. After all, our lands are in very similar positions, in many ways."

"How so?"

"Temes came successfully through a change in political format less than a century ago without losing any status – indeed, you gained, and Cephiro would do well to learn from you as we do the same. We are also both largely self-sufficient worlds, lacking major export industries. Most of the lands with status in the UCA have built theirs on trade; we are different."

"You think that Temes and Cephiro could work together?" Schwarzem said, still warily. Not that Clef would expect anything else.

"I do." He affirmed.

"…Very well. I shall bear it in mind, Master Clef." Schwarzem said, and Clef blinked at the personal title. Umi shifted slightly, and he could feel how close she was to taking offence on his behalf – he tensed, but hadn't moved when she stilled again, and he realised that he was being studied intently. Which… made this a test; Schwarzem was still deciding which way to play this, which meant he hadn't decided to shut Clef down.

One didn't get to a position so near the Table without being a consummate politician. You could remain on it, with the privileges of rank and tradition and the powers of an established Table position – Clef had done precisely that – but those seats closest to the Table were seen as achievable, and the object of fierce scheming. And Temes (Clef had checked his notes while Umi was in the shower) was in the unenviable position of sitting just where Huginn-Muminn and the Three's unofficial territories crossed over, in the space both of them tried to dominate; that kind of environment would make it even harder to build your own position.

Schwarzem would know this for a signal to the rest of the Hall, and clumsy one, but Clef was also making an honest offer. Hopefully it showed.

There were enough people watching that the back of Clef's neck was prickling from the attention. Most of them wouldn't be able to hear what either of them were saying, of course.

But when Schwarzem folded into a neat bow, they saw that, and they saw Clef return it.

"I don't know what you were talking about. That wasn't difficult at all!" Umi declared with a forced brightness, when Schwarzem was safely away, and Clef glared at her.

"Except on my nerves! But… you're right. I suppose caution looks appealing after the mess Ost has got Pedredan into." It was almost more shocking than it would have been if things _hadn't_ gone well – Clef had been expecting that, not acquiescence.

Umi's hand found his, and he held on without thinking about it. The warmth of her skin was a shock against his; from the worried look Umi shot him, his hands really had gone cold. adrenaline redirecting his blood ready for a fight. "Maybe it's because he knew that you actually do mean it." She said, softly. "You _would_ like to be mutually useful."

He took another deep breath, and rolled his shoulders until they clicked. "One down, two more to go. Dienchya next, I suppose. To give my heart rate a chance to recover."

"…Why do I know that name?" Umi asked, and Clef blinked at her.

"I haven't the faintest idea, Umi. Sorry. Perhaps we sat next to them at breakfast? If we did, I didn't notice, which is a pity. Presea only gave me one core trade agreement to get into place for the Smith's Guild, and I entirely forgot about it until this morning. Then once lunch had been hijacked…" Umi looked fine, still. A little tired, maybe, but that was only natural after the day they'd had. His sense of her was no more volatile than before they'd approached Schwarzem.

"Why's Presea getting you to trade stuff, anyway?"

"What? Oh. She managed to get hold of some rock or mineral or something of theirs – one of her Guild did, anyway. Apparently it's perfect for training new smiths, because it's easily formed into more complex shapes than most things? Something like that. I… may not have been listening as closely to the details as I should have been. It was the day before we left, and I was trying to haul together all the preparations for the Academy so it could get further while I was away, and you can stop laughing at me, thanks. Just don't tell her, I don't want her to start plotting my demise – I saw what happened to the last person who trespassed in her storerooms without permission! I think I've spotted them, anyway, come on."

He pulled her along and Umi managed to get her giggling most of the way under control before she caught sight of their target and stalled again, grabbing at his hand with _both_ of hers and folding over on a new round of laughter.

"What is it?"

"I recognise them! They were late! When we were coming here, on Dleivus-"

Clef was hit with the image of the harried attendant, that first day, ink on his fingers and pens in his hair as he ushered a group of people up into a Transport. The image was too sharply defined to be his own thought; Umi was projecting it at him. "Stop that, please?" he muttered, rubbing at his nose to hide the smile he couldn't help, Umi's amusement infecting him.

They were swiftly closing in on the Dienchyans, but Umi wasn't managing to stop laughing. She was actually getting _worse_. "Umi!"

"I know!" She gasped out, pulling one hand back to press it to her chest, and he stopped walking, turning back to her. Umi leant against his shoulder and shook with laughter, and Clef wasn't amused now. This wasn't like her.

"Can you calm down? We really can't afford to start laughing at people anymore than we can afford to yell at them –"

"Apart from Ash, Robin and Elphinstone?" She was trembling, each breath she managed to drag in shaking down into her lungs. "Or Jyuudi and Marku – or _Kuregu_, for that matter-"

"…Apart from those who are never going to help us, and are openly aggressive towards us first, and even then losing my temper is bad and I should have known better…" Clef tried to get Umi to look directly at him, and failed, repeatedly. Each time she met his eyes, she folded down again on a fresh wave of giggles. "…Maybe we should just leave now. We've come far further than I could have dreamed of, this Conference, we don't _need_ to-"

"No, no, I'm fine! I'm fine. It's not – don't you ever get a fit of the giggles?"

_Not when I'm surrounded by the enemy and there's a drug corrupting my thoughts_. Clef winced, but she hadn't heard the thought. "Yes, but you have to try to _calm down now_-" That won him a dirty look, and he flinched again. "I know, you're trying already, just… take deep breaths?"

"_You_ calm down! I'm fine. I'll be fine." Pulling away, she rubbed her hands over her face. "Come on, we'll just – I'll stop when I have something to focus on?"

"…You realise I can tell how uncertain you are about that, right?" He muttered.

Umi thumped him on the arm. "Don't freak out on me, Clef. If you do, I will too." Which was probably true; if she could feel the edge of his emotions through the bond, then they were going to be influencing her. And the way she was staring him down said she was back in control for now. "…We're not wasting time having the same argument again, both of us know I'll win it."

He gave way.

The group from Dienchya were ecstatic that anyone would actually want a mineral so indecisive that it kept one form for a few hours at most before morphing or collapsing into something else. They didn't seem surprised that Umi stayed at his side instead of falling back, and though the negotiations took longer than approaching Schwarzem had they were easy enough. Presea had done her homework, and put together an offer which suited both sides. None of it was confrontational, just boring. Umi seemed as steady when they finished as she had when they began.

Perhaps they'd been lucky – maybe the dose she'd consumed was so small that she would escape most of the effects?

Clef had to hope so, anyway, because when he explained who he wished to speak to next she stared at him as if he was out of his mind, and he was inclined to agree. "But-!" She flailed her hands out, and Clef watched nervously for any flickers of power about her fingers. "Why on _earth_ would you think that that's a good idea?"

"We aren't on Earth, for one?" He offered up the thin joke with a wry smile, trying to coax a returning one from her. She refused to do anything but stare at him. "I know, Umi. Approaching a Table land this late in proceedings-"

"One who I don't think even likes you! She only voted our way because you got Whituvii and others to badger her into it, and I _swear_ she's been grumpy about it ever since..."

"-seems foolish, but I didn't realise until today that I needed to. If we can get Whit on board, I'm certain we can get the road system extended out in our direction – which will improve our situation, and that of our neighbours, and use up resources which might otherwise be used elsewhere. It would be good for Chizeta, for Fahren, and for Autozam's patrols. It would also help Ealdor, though Reigan won't endorse anything until we've got a viable motion running. Another Table land would give us that."

"How? We still wouldn't number half the table."

"No… but we would outnumber the Three and Huginn-Muminn."

"…Ah."

"Precisely." He said, wryly. "The others may or may not be amenable, but the extension of the road network is obviously wanting. They'd need a real reason to oppose it, if there was enough interest to get a motion going. It won't actually help many of them, because our section of the UCA is sat firmly the other side of the areas controlled by Ealdor, Dleivus, and Fahren. Actually, half the expansion would be almost inside Fahren's sphere of influence. Kuregu shouldn't object, it's an easy enough way to look like Dleivus isn't biased against the outer lands, and Reigan-"

"Should want it because it will improve her position, as she's out this way, I get it." Umi waved a hand impatiently, and Clef dodged as it came perilously close to his nose. "Why is Samesu so important?"

"Because every one of our closest neighbours, when I spoke to them this evening, mentioned trade with Whit."

"That… would do it." Umi muttered, her attention drifting over his shoulder. He glanced back to see a woman in screamingly bright clothing approaching them fast, like a spell following a tracer. Umi winced in his peripheral vision. /_Those should be illegal. She's clashing with the background enough to give me a headache._/

/_No matter what she's wearing, she won't as bad as Selece._/ Clef shot back, thankful Umi had the presence of mind to switch to thought – which he should have done half a conversation ago, curse it. /_It's a grab for attention, same as our clothes, only she's trying to point out who she supports. …Or possibly she's just shouting for attention_._ The colours are right for the Three, even if they haven't managed to clash that badly this year, but the cut-_/

/_Stop trying to calm me down!_/ Umi snapped. /_I am irritated, her clothes are irritating and she is on her way here to irritate us when we've got stupid things to get done – being irritated isn't a crime, and it's certainly not new! I'm not going to _attack_ her for wearing things I don't like!_/

/_Sorry, Umi._/ He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair – then tried to smooth it out again. /_It's just, we know how Cephiran mages react to this stuff, I made sure of that once we realised it was an issue, but-_/

/_How'd you pull that off?_/ She had bounced back to amused again, in the space of a heartbeat, and Clef did _not_ like that. /_It's a banned substance, isn't it?_/

/_Yes, but one which is plainly still available if you talk to the right people, or it wouldn't be in your drink! The thing is, you aren't actually _from_ Cephiro-_/

/_But my magic is._/ She told him, firm. /_It's just as Cephiran as yours. Now stop being paranoid, we have company._/

"My greetings, Honoured Representative Clef, and your Lady Ryuuzaki. I have come to offer you congratulations on your feat this afternoon." The woman said, bowing to a respectful height.

/_…You notice she didn't say you actually are honourable, just that people honour you?_/ Umi thought, the irritation creeping back about her amusement. /_And I'm your lady, not hers – that's fine, I don't want to be hers._/

Trying not to respond to the running commentary was hard, but better than Umi saying anything aloud, so Clef did his best. He nodded, no more than politely. "Your congratulations are appreciated. I'm sorry, I don't believe we have been introduced?"

/_She didn't congratulate us, either. Just said that's what she'd come to do._/

/_Passive voice sounds more formal in many cultures. She probably doesn't realise she's doing it._/

"I am Dorche, of Gabond." She bowed again – and not so deep as she might, Clef noted. "It was quite the surprise, seeing someone from an inner table land being quite so violent, of course. But I suppose when the occasion calls for it – it's just rare for a situation to be allowed to escalate so far."

Umi radiated _silence_ at Clef, enough it actually made his temples itch. He had to agree, and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it was a surprise that someone not only managed to infiltrate the Conference, but avoided the search even when the Conference was suspended and evacuated for Representative Kuregu's people to find them." He said, fighting to keep his tone mild when he wanted to be anything but polite. Umi almost choked beside him. /_You were right. This is deliberate._/

"I… yes. That is…" Stuttered Dorche, and Umi stood taller as his meaning sank in – this was a deliberate attempt to _provoke Umi_, probably set up by Kuregu to see if she _had_ dodged the drug. Clef reached out, but she was speaking before he caught hold of her hand.

"Well, I'm glad we could at least entertain you! Was there anything else we might do for you? Cephiro, of course, must return all the compliments she has been paid this evening, but I'm afraid that it's hard for a newcomer like myself to learn who everyone is my first time here; obviously I've had to concentrate on the important figures first. One day I expect I shall know everything worth knowing about your land!"

Her smile was terrifyingly bright, and Clef should not laugh out loud. Not even if it was satisfying to see that condescension returned in kind. And though it was an outburst, it certainly wasn't the one Dorche had intended to provoke. (He wondered if Dorche had even been warned what was likely to happen if Umi lost her temper while drugged.) But the Representative gave some kind of response and retreated swiftly after that, deflated.

They didn't have much time left. His own temper was going to be a problem if he had to endure much more of this, so he turned to look for Samesu and check Dorche was actually leaving them alone. Samesu wasn't by the doors, or the ballroom, perhaps she had already left? In which case-

Umi freezing solid against his arm was the only warning he had before finding himself face-to-face with Robin, her clothes another obscenely, defiantly bright clash.

oOo

"Evening, Representative Clef." Robin said, dropping the 'honourable' and avoiding the word 'good'.

Two could play at that. 'Evening," Clef said, with a minor tilt of his head, neglecting both name and title.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" The words came complete with a sneer.

"...Excuse me?" Clef said, blinking slightly.

"Are you enjoying this? All these people saying oh, isn't it awful, how dare someone bring an assassin here. How _dare_ they use _negation_, weren't you brave to stand up to them..."

"There have been a few comments, yes. Do you find it surprising that people are shocked an assassin managed to infiltrate this space? That they disapprove of his methods?"

"You think the disgust people are feeling towards him is because he tried to kill you? Because he went beyond knives and natural magic to do so?" Robin said, a horrible twist to her voice. "Let me make something clear: it isn't. It's because he _lost_. Publicly, in front of all these people. Ost, too – he lost this evening, when he was ordered out. It will take a revolution and a century of space before Pedredan gets onto the Table now."

"Why tell us this?" Clef asked, mildly as he could, tightening his grip on Umi's arm when she took a step forwards. "In your reckoning, that means we've won."

"Your win today has bought you a few fairweather allies, and a determined set of enemies." Robin promised him, voice low. "You will lose. In the future, you will lose, just as publicly as they have. When these treaties fall apart, the enemies will remain, and you will _lose_. That is the price you pay for this victory. You'll fall so hard from the Table that you'll be dropped all the way back to your backwater little land and stay there, out of the way of people whose plans are worth something – whose plans are going to build something worthy of history, while you'll remain a fairy-story no one cares to tell anymore."

Umi took another step, startling Clef out of the urge to do something drastic himself. Clef tugged at her arm again, and she stopped, but she wouldn't step back. "But we did win. What does that make of _your_ efforts this Conference."

"Leave it, Umi. The least we can do now is give our colleagues an example of how to behave." Clef stared at Robin evenly. She wasn't flinching back from Umi - she, at least, had no idea that there was anything going on. It was a very small consolation when Clef wasn't certain he could actually persuade Umi to let this go without visible measures, if this went on much longer. But a few other things were beginning to make sense. "After all, I doubt Ost was able to bankroll a Cephiran assassin without some... additional support."

"Are you implying something, _Representative_?"

"Not at all. You may _infer_ whatever you wish. I am merely thinking aloud."

"Dangerous, that, here..." Robin murmured, and Umi was pulling at Clef's hand now, trying to get free - which snapped him back to what was he _thinking?_ No arguing! For Umi's sake!

"I think we've proven we're more dangerous than endangered." Umi hissed. Clef swallowed hard, adrenaline running cold fingers down his chest. Robin didn't even have the sense to back up as the air began to cool about them.

The cheerful interruption from his side startled him so badly he nearly let go of her.

"Robin! I must say, I'm surprised to find you've changed your opinion so much." Eagle smiled at her, brightly. "Why, you've been chatting with Clef here long enough half the Hall is watching! Have you come to congratulate him, too?"

"_Hardly_." Robin spat out, making no attempt to be polite – but then, Eagle hadn't bowed at all, just addressed her with a familiarity guaranteed to insult her. "Bear in mind what I have said, _Clef_. Or you will regret it even more than you inevitably will." With that, and one last half-snarl at Eagle, she turned on her heel and stalked away.

"...Thank you, Eagle." Clef said, heartfelt. Umi's hand was gripping his slightly less painfully; the tingle of pins and needles began to itch at his fingers as circulation returned.

The commander shrugged. "You looked like you were in need of a rescue."

"You have no idea how true that is." Clef muttered.

But... Umi was pulling a face at him, anger visibly subsiding. /_Sorry, that was just me._/ She reported. /_The _nerve_ of her, threatening us like that! But I'm fine. I want to speak to Geo, anyway. I've got a cooking question for him..._/

/_A... what? Umi-_/

/_You're ignoring Eagle. Don't be impolite - I promise I'm fine._/ She flashed a grin at him, shedding her irritation. And... he certainly wouldn't have been able to do that, under the influence of the drug. Perhaps she wasn't...

Geo had followed Eagle across the room at a more sedate pace, and was just reaching them. Clef watched Umi bounce over to him, biting his lip, until Eagle coughed politely to pull his attention back. "My apologies, but I do need to speak with you before the dismissal tomorrow – may we visit after this Ball has finished?"

"Not tonight." Clef said, still trying to track Umi – was she asking Geo about _recipes?_ – and it was a moment before he realised Eagle was staring at him, one eyebrow raised. "What? I – oh, _no_! It's not – I just meant, Umi's... _exhausted_. Both of us need to sleep tonight, and we still have to pack before leaving tomorrow morning…"

Clef wasn't announcing this situation to anyone unless he had to, not even Eagle. And if Umi was able to stay calm a few minutes more, they shouldn't have to. Besides, Eagle wasn't watching Umi as if he thought anything was wrong. If _he_ hadn't spotted anything...

Eagle didn't push the issue. "Be that as it may, I do need to speak with you tonight. There is no guarantee I will be able to catch you tomorrow. Would you give our speech a little more privacy?" Eagle suggested, his voice softening further, until it was hidden from eavesdroppers by Geo's enthusiastic discussion of Autozam's cakes. He brushed aside the hair from his forehead, tapping one finger against his temples as he did so. "It's a rather delicate subject."

"We would look very strange standing here not talking to each other." Clef objected, throat tightening.

"Then isn't it fortuitous that we can stand and appear to be listening to our bodyguards conversing with each other?" Eagle said. Clef hesitated, still, and after a moment Eagle sighed and appeared to let it drop. "Might I ask a question instead, then? About the fight this afternoon?"

"Of course." Clef replied, warily. "I cannot guarantee you'll get an answer, but you may always ask."

"I shall have to chance it, I'm too curious. Why did the assassin stop attacking this afternoon? After Umi broke his weapon and then trapped him he still had his magic, yet he made no attempt to break from the cage. I would have expected him to try given what he must have known would happen once he was caught."

Clef winced at that reminder, but it was a fair question. "Because – well. Because he had lost." He half shrugged, glancing at Umi. "In an open fight, he had three tactics. His magic, his weapon, and the negation-magic. The first Umi had already comprehensively defeated – there would be no point using anything but your best spells against a Magic Knight, and she found the weaknesses in each spell remarkably quickly. He could have used magic in combination with a physical attack – that was the biggest danger, really – but Umi managed to keep him moving too much to cast anything strong until she'd broken his halberd. That weakened his magic. It was his focus-item, and the backlash would have been painful."

"…Ah. He did yell, rather. Couldn't he have made himself another weapon? Umi crafted her shield in the middle of the battle, after all, and there was enough mud to make a thousand spears."

"Umi's shield was a temporary thing, meant for one battle only. His halberd must have taken him several days' work to form, to face up to a blade made of Escudo! Nothing less would have withstood it."

"But her temporary shield held up against his permanent weapon, which was strong enough to stop her sword. Surely that means her temporary shield was as strong as the halberd?" Eagle objected.

"Yes, well, the magic she used was-" Clef shut himself up, but not fast enough to keep Eagle from pouncing on the slip.

"Was what, Master Clef?"

So much for Eagle leaving things alone. "Was particularly suited to deflecting things. Ice is slippery! Anyway -" He rushed on – "that left him with only the negation magic, which he tried, and it was overpowered by her spell. Negation had already failed him against my shield, and even in the bomb; he didn't know how we were protected against it, so there was no point attempting to break free; he had no way left to defeat us."

"Yes? And have you written your report for the Guards about_ that _yet?"

No prizes for guessing Eagle didn't mean the fight or the bomb, but their mode of survival. Umi was back at his side before Eagle had finished, though he didn't know if she had been listening or if he'd been exuding wariness. Her hand rested against his elbow.

"It's-" Clef swallowed, and now facing Eagle was easier than facing Umi. "It won't be an issue for much longer, Eagle. The situation will be resolved when we return, and there will be no effect on the connection with Autozam."

She let go of him, slowly. Not just his arm, either - she drew her shields carefully back up.

Eagle sighed. "Whatever your intentions might currently be… Three days. Please. Tell him, tell Dal LaFarga, within three days of reaching Cephiro, or-"

"Or _what_?" Umi demanded. "You'll tell on us, like we're naughty children?"

"I don't want to tell him anything!" Eagle bit out, voice still low but urgent. "It shouldn't be his business – it certainly shouldn't be _my_ business – but because of Autozam it _is. _And… most of all, I don't want to lie to Lantis ever again. Not for anything, not even by omission."

How could Clef feel angry, when Eagle's grief was still haunting his voice? He'd had to turn against Lantis, fight him with every piece of information Lantis had given away. Clef looked at Umi for permission; she bit her lip, and nodded.

"Three days. Not that we should need them."

"Just in case things don't go to plan. ...Thank you, Clef. Umi. I'm sorry to have to ask you."

oOo

"Come on, then." Clef turned to Umi, when Eagle had left them, Geo apologetic in his wake. "Time for us to leave."

"What? No!" Umi folded her arms and frowned at him - then away, to at the kaleidoscope of people in glimmering finery. "You've only spoken to two of them! We said we were speaking to three." He recognised her obstinate head tilt with a sinking feeling. "We need to find Samesu."

"I can't see her, Umi - she's left already, I suspect, which means we should-"

"Well, find someone else to talk to, then!" Umi snapped. Clef was uncomfortably aware of the attention being sent their way by the constant plaguing audience.

"Umi, won't you just _listen_ to me?" He demanded, stepping closer so he could drop his voice low - with the height of her shields he couldn't use the bond, and given the volatile edge to their magic, he didn't want to risk the thought-spell. Umi glared at his throat, instead of meeting his eyes. "I'm not lying to you! I can't see Samesu, and your control is slipping - I have no idea how you're still holding yourself together!"

"I'm fine! There are hundreds of people here, I'm sure you could do with speaking to some of them."

"You promised you'd do what I asked!" Clef insisted (because insisted was a better word than 'wailed'). Umi just rolled her eyes at him.

"Not if you're being _stupid_, I'm not."

Clef shut his eyes and rubbed his hand across his forehead, giving himself a minute when he didn't have to look at her. How could he simultaneously want to _strangle her_ and pull her away to somewhere safe and hidden and defensible? It was bad for his nerves, this _insanity_.

"We've done all we can tonight. Please, let me keep you safe."

Umi wavered, and then bowed her head, giving way. Clef breathed a sigh of relief, and stepped closer, tilting her head up so she would look at him. "Thank you," he told her, softly, and she leant into his hand with a sigh, eyes closing.

Clef... froze.

Her cheeks were beginning to flush with a sharp dry heat. That shouldn't - the fever didn't come until after the loss of control! Could this be a reaction? An allergy - but she'd been following the same symptoms as he had. Maybe it was because she'd taken so little it hadn't managed to erode her control so badly? But then it wouldn't be enough to make her run a temperature either, and this... Was it because she wasn't Cephiran? She hadn't grown up in a land with power, perhaps that meant her reserves weren't as…

Umi pulled away, staring at him. There was a high colour in her cheeks, beginning to look too blotchy to be healthy. "What is it?"

"I'm the worst kind of fool in this whole place." Clef whispered, unable to believe he'd been so _stupid_.

What kind of reserves could she _possibly have left _after that afternoon?

Not enough to fuel the drug long enough to steal all her control, and not enough to buffer her against the worst symptoms of magic depletion alongside the toxin. He focused on the bond, instead of the emotion wrapped in it, and shivered - there was hardly anything coming from her, and she was pulling more from him than she had been.

"Come on." He said, catching her hand and turning for the doors. He was so focused on her that he nearly walked into the person who had been behind him, who Clef recognised belatedly as the man who accompanied Reigan, and the Representative was there too.

At first, she just glanced their way and moved on, but then Reigan stopped. She looked closer at Umi, who proceeded to glare back haughtily. Clef shifted closer and wrapped his arm around Umi's waist. When Reigan's expression darkened and turned on _him_, he just tilted his chin up, inviting whatever comment she wanted to hit him with – but his grip tightened again, and she probably noticed he was turning so he stood between her and Umi.

Instead of saying something cutting, she stared at him for just as long, just as silently, while all he wanted was this conversation _done_ so he could get them _out_ of here.

"You can take this game of theirs too seriously, you realise." She eventually said, and he flinched. "Some things should not be wagered."

"Clef's not the one betting." Umi told her, forcefully. Her control wasn't exactly gone, but it was less than diplomatic; Reigan's expression didn't change.

"But he is, little knight. He's the Representative, you are merely a bodyguard – and not even from Cephiro. Whatever happens will be on his head."

He moved without thinking, getting further between them. "I am responsible, yes, for what we do, but others are responsible for the outcome of what _they_ might have chosen to do to others – and I will support the choices Umi makes. I will _not_ let her down, no matter what people may think of me."

"No?" Reigan raised an eyebrow, watching them both – then sighed, and shook her head. "I have told you before, I do not care to be drawn into the petty squabbling among the lands here. But you have begun to show signs of some promise it would be irritating to see wasted so swiftly. After you stopped him from taking to the field this afternoon…" Her gaze went to Umi again, lingering on her, and Clef wondered suddenly what Reigan had been like when she was younger, if she saw echoes of herself in Umi.

"You – how do you know I stopped him?" Umi blinked.

Reigan huffed out a short breath. "I have eyes, and I use them. It showed you have some common sense; your partnership seems to be working. So pay attention, Master Clef. It is a dangerous game you have started playing. This-" she flicked her fingertips at them, and the tiniest, most tightly controlled slip of wind imaginable brushed over his shoulder to press against Umi and stop dead on her lightly flushed cheek without stirring her hair at all – "this is nothing more than a warning shot. An opening salvo."

"This is no _game_." Clef snapped, too loudly. People turned to look, and he had to fight the snarl off his face.

"But you are in no position to dictate that, when the rest of these players decide you're on the board."

She nodded at his hesitation, and before he could drag any response together she turned, and walked away from them. The crowds parted about her, her passage marked by a wake of ruffled dignitaries.

"…I wonder, then." Clef muttered. "Are you a player too, or are you aiming to be a gamemaster instead?" He closed his eyes and rubbed his free hand through his hair. "Okay. Enough. We're getting out of here now, no more complications." He declared, and tried to move.

Umi swayed against him and blinked up, sluggishly.

"I think - Clef, I think -" she stuttered, and he knew exactly how disoriented she felt as her shields crumbled, all of them, mind growing too scattered to focus as the fever hit. It was _very much_ time to leave, but she could barely walk in a straight line - three steps was enough to prove that, even with an arm about her waist, and how were they going to _get out of the room_ without attracting attention_?_

He wasn't even thinking about Cephiro's image, he just knew that Umi despised the idea of anyone seeing her out of control like this. He tugged them back against a pillar, out of the way. Umi stumbled and tried to stand up, faltered against him again. He turned into her, pressed his lips to her temple, thought /_sorry, Umi. Sorry._/

"I want to leave now." She whispered, leaning into his neck. Clef wrapped his arms about her and stared about, feeling helpless. He couldn't transport them - with Umi lacking control, it would have been a dubious prospect. With her magic drained and his propping her up, it was never going to happen. But she would hate it if he carried her somehow... They were still half a room from the doors, and it wasn't even a clear path - there were people and tables scattered all through it, plus the steps up to the corridor. She would never be able to walk it.

But one of the people between them and the door was the Chizetan Princess, who spotted him, and was excusing herself moments later to make her way across. She curved about a few of the tables so it didn't look quite as though she was launching across the room to them - and while Clef appreciated the effort to not draw attention, he'd really rather she got to them as soon as possible, because a desperate plan was forming at the back of his mind.

"What's wrong?" Tatra asked as she reached them, softly, glancing down at Umi, and Clef had never before been so grateful for someone else's intuition.

"Can you control another person's motions?" He asked, sharp and low, and when she hesitated all he felt was impatience. "I've seen Caldina do it, I don't care if it's some secret art, or forbidden, or below the dignity of a Princess – _can you do it_?"

"Yes."

"Then I need you to walk Umi out of this room with me, with no one noticing she's being controlled." He demanded, low, and Tatra's eyes widened for a split second and she looked at Umi again, at the fierce grip she had on Clef's robes, and a soft _'oh'_ fell from her lips – but she didn't ask for details, just nodded.

"You'll be okay after that? She'll be alright?"

"She should be. I can't transport us back. If she panics and tries to grab control of the spell…"

"I will walk her to your rooms." Tatra told him, voice firm. "I will need to find somewhere I'll not be watched, and a mirror to see what is happening. Give me three minutes at most. …If you can keep her calm, then…"

"I will. She promised me she'd listen." Clef murmured, tangling his hands tighter in Umi's hair and turning down to her. Umi shifted and looked up at him, her eyes too dark, pupils wide under the influence of the drug, and then she wrapped her arms about his neck a little unsteadily and leant against his chest again, closing her eyes, and… well. They weren't going to get any strange looks for leaving early, he thought, wryly, trying to hold onto that instead of his fears.

The Princess took her leave and made her way from the room – not directly, with more than a few stops to exchange conversation, and all the while Clef kept his arms wrapped tightly about Umi and wished Tatra would _hurry up and get on with it_, even though he knew that it might destroy their charade for her to do so.

If Umi resisted… she'd broken a spell like this before, and she'd only grown in strength since facing Aska. Even with her reserves drained she could interfere. But if he used his connection to her magic and tried to stop her fighting with it – that much meddling couldn't go well. /_Umi_,/ he thought, trying to become as calm as he possibly could and lowering the shields to let that flow through to her. /_Umi, will you trust me?_/

She didn't reply as such, though her hands wound tighter in his shirt, and he remembered vividly the feeling that words were too alien a concept to grasp, but for once the present moment was more powerful than the flashback. /_Do you trust me?_/

Umi still didn't reply, but she responded; she tilted her head to press her lips to his cheek. (And, yes. Really _no one at all_ was going to be surprised they were leaving early, were they.) The tangled mix of emotion emanating from her folded into something full of irritation and – and affection, and _of course, you idiot_.

He felt, suddenly, like crying. /_Trust me, then. Please, trust Tatra, and trust me. We're going to get you out of here. It's going to feel strange, but don't fight it, don't fight her, please? It's alright, I promise you. It's going to be alright._/

oOo

The moment the spell came over her, he knew. She went tense against his side, and then she was standing upright without leaning against him. The smile on her face didn't fit it, and it didn't reach her eyes. And there was a pressure wrapped about her magic, her will, which he could feel through the bond – a muffling, like a layer of thin silk cloth separating them.

Tatra's power.

Clef kept his arm wrapped about her, and together they walked to the door, Umi moving with all the grace she _should_ have; it was more jarring than even her collapse had been, but without the bond, he probably wouldn't have noticed a thing out of place. Tatra had Umi's way of walking down perfectly, which was vaguely terrifying: no one should be that observant.

(Clef knew it was perfect, but he'd been together with Umi a lot more.)

People smiled, people turned to greet them – Clef smiled back, and nodded, and kept his mouth shut. No one stopped him. They made it to the corridor, to the stairwell where there was still a hole in the carpet. Clef dropped the smile, but left his arm about Umi, walking faster. She came along, and glanced neither to right nor left, made no response to their surroundings, to him.

The only sound was their footsteps, all the way until the door closed behind them and Tatra's spell broke; Umi dropped, puppet with the strings cut, and even with his arm already about her waist Clef barely caught her.

He stood there, in the dark of the room, and just tried to breathe for a moment. But the itch of the door-shaped hole in the shields behind him was too much to ignore, and he pulled Umi further upright so he could get one arm free and flail his hand backwards. He didn't so much drag the shield shut behind them as slam his hand against the door and shove power at it until it got the idea and closed up. He poured more strength into it, until the heat stung his palm, and he still didn't feel safe.

He wanted his castle back about them, the power of the wards singing at him through every wall and floor, the stones he knew intimately standing strong about them. He wanted to be able to go to ground in the room where Emeraude had hidden from the world and from herself, so no one and nothing could reach Umi while she was hurting like this.

And as he thought it, there was a shudder in the air; he snarled and tossed caution aside, throwing out his free hand and _demanding_ until his staff slammed into it.

/_Stand down, mage. I am no threat to you._/

Selece's voice echoed about the room as much as it did through Clef's head, and as he watched there was a moment when he could see the dragon coiled about the walls, wrapped about them. The light flung off by his staff went straight through the transparent limbs. Clef had enough time to look up into sharp eyes before Selece faded into invisibility, but not away. He settled into the shield through the threads of Umi's power bound into it.

/_I shall watch without. You will be safe in this room. For this night, not even Mokona can order me away, not while my Knight needs me._/

Clef shuddered, and closed his eyes. He relaxed his grip on the staff, but couldn't bring himself to let it go entirely – not least because it made a handy stick to lean on, .That was… better. That was better. Selece was probably as formidable as the whole of Cephiro's massed power, all in one stirred-up teeth-bearing form.

/_Now you must stop feeding her more magic than she is drawing on naturally._/ Selece said, and Clef stared wide-eyed at the place his head had been.

"But! The drain, my Lord, her magic-"

/_She is anchored to you. This would need to be far stronger to outpace your connection, like the traps of the mage wars; you are only feeding the drug._/

Clef winced, and bit his lip. The only thing he could think of to help her, and it was making things worse?

/_Do not feel guilty, little one_./ Selece's voice softened, as much as it could. / _Your actions helped keep her calm until you were safe, but that is no longer necessary. I shall watch closely for signs she is getting too low, and tell you if need be._/

"...You wouldn't pass magic on to her yourself?"

/_My power is not the same as that you draw from Cephiro, it would not be precisely compatible. But, come. Both of you must rest._/

Clef closed his eyes, and consciously let go of the bond, and there was a moment when Selece's satisfaction seemed to wash through the room. Meanwhile, Umi was still leaning into Clef's hold. Surely she should have pulled herself away from him by now? Protesting the magic which had bound her at his request – he knew she must have loathed that. It was all his fault she was here enduring such things. "It's over now." He promised her. "No more control spells, no more politics or assassins or drugs. We'll get you to bed and you can sleep this off, and tomorrow we're going home, okay?"

"Teeth." She said, clearly, and he blinked.

What?

"_Teeth_." Umi insisted. She listed away from him, in the direction of the bathroom. He was half expecting Umi to pull away from him; he wasn't prepared for her to tug him _with_ her. But then, she couldn't _stand_, what was he expecting her to do?

"Here, come lie down. Forget brushing your teeth, if you sleep it off –"

"No!"

"The bed's closer! Umi, you can barely walk, you can clean your teeth tomorrow!" She ignored the plea, yanking hard enough he had to drop the staff and grab her with both hands again before she tipped both of them over.

Then she turned and looked up at him, her eyes large and pleading, and he folded within seconds.

He helped her to the bathroom, stood steady so she could scrub at her teeth and her tongue. When he spotted flecks of blood in the foam he coaxed her into setting it aside and coming back to the bed.

Her hands were freezing, but her cheeks burnt against his palm. He picked up the loose hotel nightshirt she'd been using and thought it onto her in place of the thin dress, eyes closed, before helping her under the covers. Umi made a cocoon, wrapping the duvet high about her shoulders, and when he tried to pull back she wormed one arm out and latched onto his sleeve.

Clef kicked off his boots and sat down beside her. "I'm here." He murmured, softly. "I won't leave you." Umi curled into him and his throat tightened, but he forced himself to keep talking, calmly, stroking one hand slowly over the fall of her hair.

It was more than an hour before her fever started to go down, and only then did he finally manage to believe Selece was correct - that this would pass quicker if he didn't feed it more, even if it left Umi cold and shaking. Time had stretched horribly as she shivered violently and he could do nothing, but now she lay still, and he was so exhausted that he was seeing double. He began to untangle himself, thinking that he should get changed - his mantle couldn't have been comfortable to lean against - but the moment he got his hand free Umi stirred, with an unhappy noise. Clef curled closer about her again, murmuring quiet nonsense against her hair until she was resting more-or-less peacefully. He rested his head against hers and sighed, so reluctant to move that he knew he really, really should.

Some time later he opened his eyes blearily and realised two things in quick succession; he had dozed off, and something had woken him up.

"Why is it," Umi asked, somewhat groggily, "that you make more sense when I'm _drugged_?"

His eyes shot open, but beyond that he couldn't move - weighed down with sleep and mostly with Umi draped across him, holding him in place against the headboard. Her eyes were a half dozen inches from his own.

Clef swallowed, his mind entirely blank.

She sounded coherent. More than that, she sounded entirely like herself again. He'd been holding her for _far_ too long. All his plans of getting his distance and composing himself before she woke up again - gone.

"Umi..." He said, a warning in his tone. Somewhere. Buried under the trembling.

"But _now _I understand. You're _afraid_. Of me."

oOo

end chapter twenty three

oOo

*Ducks whatever Milieva might chose to throw at her for that ending* I PROMISE that the next chapter will NOT take so long! Honest! I am not likely to start three jobs again. (At least, I really hope not! I want to keep the two I have now!)

In case that confused anyone, the drug sapping magic worries Clef because it's not blocking magic off, it's eating it, rather like the negation does but naturally. A mage needs a certain level of magic – because that magic is also their life, their soul. That's why the assassin was sealed instead of having his power removed.

SPOILERS/TRIGGER WARNING INFORMATION: The loss of autonomy deals with characters being drugged so they lose control of themselves, so that they are controllable or will become violent against their will.


End file.
